Celia's Perspective:
Date: 4/11/2008 - 8:28 PM
"Kai told me about you," Elfina said, her voice completely stripped of its sweetness. "He said he helped a lost little girl while retrieving that flower for me."
Kai? Is that his name?
"Oh. So it was for you?" I asked, the disappointment of a heavy, sickening weight in my stomach.
"Indeed." Elfina's eyes were cold now. "I fell in love with it after seeing it in the picture book, and Kai told me he could find it. So I just made a portal, waiting for him..."
"If you ever waste his time again, you will regret every second you stole."
She looked directly into my eyes, her face utterly serious.
"He's my best friend. He may have saved you once, but you'll stay far away from him."
I opened my mouth to protest. "But I wanted to—"
"No," she said, her voice ringing with absolute authority. "He is my friend. Don't go near him, or else I won't be so kind."
She stood up instantly. "Gaea Open," she commanded, and the earth and stones blocking the cave entrance silently peeled away, revealing a wet, overcast forest. Elfina walked to the edge and stepped out, the pink barrier shimmering around her again. She turned back one last time, her gaze chillingly possessive, and left without another word.
My body felt like cold sand.
Why did her personality change so suddenly? She went from being my friend to suddenly... hating me. I put my hand on my chest where my heart was. It felt like a stone had been dropped inside, heavy with pain and anger.
I didn't understand this feeling, this terrible, absolute emotion and need.
He's my best friend.
The words echoed, filling the comfortable silence.
I stood up, pushing the terrifying, ugly feeling deep down. I quickly shoved my painting back into the satchel. I had to at least meet him. I had to see his blue eyes again and let him know that I cared too.
Maybe then I'd understand why I felt this way—this suffocating, terrible need.
I slipped out of the cave. The rain had stopped, but the forest was dark, wet, and unsettlingly quiet. The air smelled of wet pine and decay. I forced myself forward, deeper into the strange woods.
The atmosphere was thick with tension—the silence broken only by the occasional, loud screech of some unseen monster in the distance. I shook, my small body tensing with every sound, cowering down and hiding behind thick trunks when shadows moved too quickly.
I have to find him. I have to find out why...
I was moving fast now, desperate to get out of the frightening woods. I heard another loud, tearing screech nearby, and in my panic to evade it, my foot caught on a wet root. I pitched forward, bracing for the scrape of rocks.
But the pain never came.
A firm, dry hand shot out and caught my wrist from behind, pulling me back and steadying me with surprising gentleness.
My heart felt light again, exploding with a burst of immediate, overwhelming relief. I spun around as he pulled me upright.
It was him.
My small body didn't even think. It just went on pure instinct, surging forward and wrapping my arms tight around his chest. I buried my face in his surprisingly sturdy.
"Uhh?" he murmured, a soft question in his voice.
I looked up, tears still thick in my eyes, and saw those familiar, beautiful, steady blue eyes. For a moment, I was speechless, just staring at the color.
He gently pulled me back, holding me by the shoulders. "Hey. It's you again. The little girl from the mountain." He smiled, a genuinely sweet and caring expression that made my cheeks burn instantly.
"I—I was looking for you," I stammered, my voice tiny.
"You were looking for me?" He tilted his head. "Why?"
"I… I wanted to thank you for last time," I rushed out, fumbling for the polite, "Angel" words even though my heart was screaming the opposite. "And to tell you… you were very kind. And… and I was worried about you."
He chuckled softly, a warm sound that melted the ice in my chest. He lifted his hand—the same hand that had caught me—and placed it gently on my forehead.
"You're all red. Do you have a fever?" he asked, his blue eyes focused on my face with immediate, genuine care. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."
He noticed my blush! He thinks I'm sick!
He lowered his hand and his smile softened with concern. "It's not safe here. I heard that the storm was bad. Come with me. You'll be safer then."
I nodded quickly, clutching my satchel tighter. I stayed right next to him,
I kept stealing glances at him as we walked. My hand was still holding onto his sleeve, just a little bit. I didn't want to let go.
"Um… Mister?" I asked, looking up at him. "Can I… can I ask your name? Last time you didn't tell me."
He stopped for a second, looking down at me with a funny expression, like he was deciding something. Then he smiled, that easy, calm smile.
"You can call me Kai."
"Kai," I tested the name on my tongue. It sounded short and strong. "I like it. I'm Lia!"
"I know," he teased softly. "You told me that last time too, Lia."
My face heated up. "I—I forgot!"
We kept walking, the scary forest feeling less like a monster's den and more like a quiet room just for us. I wanted to impress him. I didn't want him to think I was just a crybaby who needed saving.
"You know, I've been reading a lot since… since the mountain," I said, trying to sound grown-up. "I borrowed books from the healer. About the outside world. And the wilderness of monsters."
"Oh?" Kai looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "That's pretty brave reading for a little girl."
"It's not brave, it's smart!" I insisted, puffing my chest out a little. "I learned about how they hunt. And how some of them don't like fire, and some only come out when it's night."
"Is that so?" He sounded genuinely interested. "You really like learning new things, don't you?"
"Mhm! I want to know everything."
Just then, a sharp, high-pitched scratching sound echoed from the trees to our left.
Skree-kruk-kruk.
My body moved faster than my thoughts. I grabbed Kai's hand and pulled him down behind a thick fern bush, pressing a finger to my lips.
"Shh!" I whispered frantically. "That noise… it's the screeching teeth thingy! I don't remember the name, but the book said it hears really well!"
Kai crouched beside me, not scared at all. He peered through the leaves, his blue eyes calm and calculating.
"A Razor-Mawier," he whispered back.
I blinked at him. "Huh?"
"That's the name," he said, looking back at me. "It was the one that attacked you last time. The one that scraped your knee."
He looked impressed. "I'm surprised you learned about it. Most kids would just run away or cry. You're quite adaptable, Lia."
My heart did a somersault in my chest.
Adaptable.
He didn't say I was cute or angelic. He said I was smart. He noticed I learned. I felt like I was melting right there in the dirt.
"I… I just didn't want to get hurt again," I mumbled, looking down, hiding my grin.
We waited until the scratching noise faded away, then stood up and started walking again. But now, I couldn't stop talking. The praise had unlocked something in me. I wanted more.
"I can do other things too!" I chirped, walking a little closer to him. "I can sew really well! I fixed my own dress when I tore it. And I can cook a little bit—Mama let me stir the soup once. And I can climb trees! Well, I'm not supposed to, but I'm really fast at it."
I listed everything I could think of—my collection of books, how I could braid my own hair, how I knew which berries were safe to eat.
Kai just listened. He chuckled every now and then, nodding along.
"That's amazing," he said. "You're very talented for someone so small."
I stopped, suddenly feeling shy. I realized I had been blabbering for ten minutes straight. My face burned.
"Sorry…" I whispered, gripping my satchel strap. "I… I'm talking too much, aren't I? Mama says I shouldn't chatter so much."
Kai stopped and turned to face me. He didn't look annoyed. He looked… happy.
"No," he said softly. "Keep talking. I enjoy hearing you go on and on."
My eyes went wide. He enjoys it?
A smile—a real, massive, unstoppable smile—broke across my face.
"Really?"
"Really."
I beamed at him, my heart pounding so hard I thought he might hear it. I started talking again, faster this time, telling him about the sea and the fishes and everything else in my world. I wanted to give him every word I had. I never wanted to stop talking to him.
We finally stopped by a small, clear pond. My throat was dry from all the talking, but my chest felt fuller than it ever had in my life.
"Thirsty?" Kai asked, kneeling by the water.
"Mhm," I nodded, scrambling down beside him. I looked at his reflection in the water next to mine.
He's mine. He likes listening to me. Not Elfina. Me…
I knelt by the edge of the pond, the water shimmering like polished glass under the returning moon.
I narrowed my eyes, leaning in close. I didn't just cup my hands and drink like a silly child. I looked for the signs.
Clear visibility to the bottom. No strange foam at the edges. Small minnows darting near the rocks.
"It's safe," I declared, reaching down.
"Stop," Kai's voice was sharp, and his hand caught my shoulder before I could touch the surface. "Don't drink that, Lia. It's unhealthy."
I frowned, looking up at him with a pout. "No, it's not! I read it in The Traveler's Almanac. It says that if water is moving and has fish in it, it's not stagnant! And look," I pointed to a tiny bug skating on the surface, "water striders only live in clean water. It's safe."
Kai blinked, then a look of genuine surprise crossed his face. "You know about bio-indicators? That is impressive."
I puffed my chest out, feeling warm all over. "Mhm! I remember everything I read."
"But," Kai added gently, pointing a finger toward a patch of green further up the bank, "you missed the Oleander bush growing over the inlet. Its leaves drop into the stream feeding this pond. Even if the bugs are fine, the sap can make a human stomach very sick."
My mouth formed a small 'o'. I had been so focused on the bugs I missed the plants. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. "I... I didn't see that."
"It's a small detail," Kai said soothingly, pulling a clean cloth from his pocket. "But you were right about the flow. We just need to filter it."
He showed me how to wrap the cloth over the mouth of my empty bottle, pushing it deep into the sandy bottom where the spring bubbled up fresh, filtering out the debris and avoiding the surface runoff. We drank the cool, clean water together, and it tasted better than anything—because he had taught me how to find it.
We continued our trek, the forest feeling friendlier now. I stayed close to his side, eager to reclaim my smart reputation.
"Did you know," I chattered, skipping over a tree root, "that moss always grows thicker on the north side of the trees here? Because the wind from the sea hits the south side and dries it out!"
Kai nodded, listening intently. "Is that so? You're like a little ranger."
"And—and that bird!" I pointed to a flash of yellow in the branches. "That's a Golden Warbler! They only sing when rain is coming... or just leaving!"
"You really do know a lot," Kai said, his voice warm.
"Look!" I gasped, pulling him toward a low bush covered in bright, red clusters. "Sweet-Briars!"
I inspected the leaves quickly—serrated edges, thorns on the stem. Safe berries.
"These are the best," I told him confidently. "They aren't the poisonous look-alikes because those have smooth leaves. These are just sweet."
I plucked a handful and offered them to him. He took one, popping it into his mouth.
"Mmm," he hummed. "You're right. Very sweet."
I happily stuffed three into my mouth at once, the sugary juice bursting on my tongue. I chewed happily, feeling triumphant.
See? I can be useful. I can be good for him.
Suddenly, Kai stopped. He turned to me, his expression amused.
"You're eating too fast, little squirrel," he teased softly.
He reached out, his finger hooking gently under my chin to tilt my head up. My heart slammed against my ribs. He pulled out his handkerchief again and dabbed the corner of my mouth where a drop of red juice had escaped.
"Slow down," he murmured, wiping my chin with a gentle, careful motion. "It's not going anywhere."
My face went red. I stood frozen, my eyes wide, staring at his focused expression. His touch was so light, so caring.
He's touching me. He's taking care of me.
"O-Okay," I squeaked.
We kept walking, but now I was floating. I blabbered on, breathless and happy.
"And... and sometimes the stars look different in winter! The big one, the Hunter, he moves lower!"
"That's true," Kai agreed, kicking a pebble along the path. "Though it's actually because the earth tilts, not because the stars move. But you noticed the position change perfectly."
He didn't say I was wrong. He just... added to it. He fixed my world without breaking it.
"Oh! The earth tilts?" I asked, amazed. "Like a spinning top?"
"Exactly like a top."
We reached a flatter section of the path, the trees thinning out. My hand felt empty at my side. I looked at his hand swinging rhythmically next to mine.
"Um... Kai?"
"Yeah?"
"I..." I swallowed, clutching my satchel strap. "I'm still a little scared. Of the monsters. Can I... can I hold your hand? Like last time?"
He stopped and looked at me. For a second, he just studied my face, and I held my breath, terrified he'd say I was too big for that now.
Then, he let out a soft sigh, his shoulders relaxing.
"Sure," he said quietly. "Come here."
I didn't hesitate. I reached out, but I didn't just grab his palm. I slipped my small fingers between his, interlocking them tight.
Kai looked down, his eyebrows raising in surprise at the grip.
"Is... is it okay?" I whispered, looking up through my lashes, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm.
Please don't let go. Please let me keep this.
He stared at our locked hands for a heartbeat, then looked back at me with those calm blue eyes.
"It's okay, Lia."
He squeezed my hand back, firm and secure.
We continued to walk, my fingers tangled with his, and I knew, with absolute certainty, that I would never, ever want to let go.
The fear of the forest fading as the canopy opened up above us to reveal the clearing sky. The storm had passed, leaving the blue expanse washed clean.
I squeezed his hand a little tighter, feeling the need to show him just how much I knew. I wanted to be useful.
"You know, Kai," I started, pointing up at the fading moon that was still visible in the daylight.
"The Moon doesn't actually glow on its own! I read in The Celestial Mechanics that it's actually a mirror. It steals light from the sun to watch over us at night."
Kai looked up, shielding his eyes. "That's right. It reflects the light. It's called albedo."
"And—and the stars!" I rushed on, eager to keep the momentum. "They look tiny, but the book said they are actually big fires. Like... campfires that the old gods lit to keep the dark away. And some of them are even bigger than our village!"
Kai smiled gently. "Actually, they are much bigger than the village. They're suns, just like ours, but very far away. Burning balls of gas—mostly hydrogen and helium—fusing together to make light."
I blinked. Hydrogen? Helium? I didn't know those words, but I nodded as if I did.
"R-Right! Gases!" I stammered. I wracked my brain for the hardest, most complex thing I had read, the one I didn't fully understand but sounded impressive.
"And... and all the stars live in a giant river of milk!" I declared confidently. "The... the Galaxy! It's a big stream of white magic that holds everything together."
Kai looked down at me, his expression thoughtful. "The Milky Way. It does look like a river, doesn't it? But it's actually a barred spiral galaxy. Imagine a flat, spinning disk with arms curling out, holding billions and billions of stars together with gravity. And we are just on one tiny arm of it, spinning around a massive center."
I stopped walking. My mouth hung open slightly. Billions? Spinning disk? Gravity?
I had memorized the book, but he... he knew how the universe worked.
I swallowed hard, refusing to let the "gravity" comment defeat me. I had one more card to play. The biggest, most beautiful fact I had memorized from the Legends of the Night Sky.
"Okay, but… but the Moon!" I insisted, pointing a shaking finger up at the pale crescent. "I know where it came from! The book says it was a giant pearl dropped by the Sea Goddess! That's why it's white and shiny, and that's why the ocean tries to reach for it every night—making the tides! It wants its pearl back!"
I looked at him triumphantly.
There. That makes sense. It's poetic and smart.
Kaiser looked at the moon, squinting slightly as he kicked a loose grey stone on the path.
"That's a nice story," he said thoughtfully. "But… I've been looking at the rocks here. And the craters up there."
He paused, tilting his head.
"I have a different theory. It's just something I thought about."
"What is it?" I asked, ready to correct him with my book facts.
"I think … maybe a super, super long time ago," Kai said quietly, like he was telling a secret. "There was this planet — I call it Philia — about as big as Mars. And it smashed into the young Earth. Really hard."
My eyes went big. "Smashed? Like a big crash?"
"Yeah. Like … BOOM." He made a loud whoosh with his arms. "It was huge. The collision melted stuff, vaporized rock, and blasted tons of debris into space."
He leaned forward. "That blasted rock didn't just float away. Because Earth is heavy, a lot of it got stuck in orbit. It made a disk — like a ring — around the Earth."
He closed his eyes, imagining. "Then, it all kind of stuck together, clumping and cooling down. And that became the Moon."
"That's why the Moon is scarred, kind of rough — because it's made from smashed-up space rock. And why its stuff is super similar to Earth's rock: some of it came from us … and some came from Philia."
Kai paused, then said softly, "Maybe even our chemical clues could be similar. That means Philia wasn't totally different. Maybe it came from near Earth, in the early Solar System."
"And get this," he added with a grin, "I even believe the Moon might have formed in just a few hours after the crash — not months or years."
He shook his head slowly. "So, Lia … the Moon isn't just a pretty pearl in the sky. It's like a broken-off piece of a really crazy, ancient accident."
I stopped walking completely. My mouth hung open.
A planet crashing into Earth? A broken piece of us?
It sounded insane. It sounded like the scariest story ever. But then I looked at the grey, pockmarked face of the moon, and then at the grey rocks under our feet.
It made sense. It made too much sense.
"That's… that's why the ground shakes sometimes?" I whispered, terrified and awed. "Because it remembers the crash?"
"Maybe," Kai shrugged, suddenly looking casual again. "Or maybe it's just tectonic plates moving. It's just a childish theory I came up with. I don't have any proof."
Childish theory?
I stared at him. He had just explained the entire sky with a story about planets crashing and dust spinning, and he called it childish?
I looked down at my hands. I had talked about pearls and goddesses. compared to him… I sounded like a baby. I sounded stupid.
He's a genius, sinking my heart. He sees the world differently. I'm just memorizing fairy tales, and he's figuring out how the universe is built.
My confidence shattered. I felt small. Insignificant. I wasn't impressing him. I was just entertaining him.
My smile dropped, and I felt the sting of tears in my eyes. I turned my head away, staring miserably at the dirt, wishing I was smarter. Wishing I was like him.
"Lia," he said suddenly.
I didn't look up. I didn't want him to see my sad face.
"Say 'aaahhh'."
My brain stalled. The command was so sudden, so calm, that my body just obeyed before I could think. I opened my mouth.
"Aaahhh?"
He popped a sweet-briar berry into my mouth.
I blinked, startled, as the sweet flavor burst on my tongue. I chewed slowly, confused, looking up at him.
Kai was smiling.
"Don't feel bad," he said, his voice low and soothing. "You really impressed me with your knowledge. Most kids think stars are just stickers on the ceiling. You knew about the reflection and the galaxy. You're really a smart girl, Lia."
He chuckled softly. "I find it cute that you know this much."
My face exploded with heat. I chewed faster, swallowing the juice, unable to meet his eyes.
Smart? Cute?
Then, he reached out and patted my head—a gentle, rhythmic stroke that sent shivers down my spine.
"You even opened your mouth like a good girl," he teased, his tone warm. "That was really cute."
"S-Stop it!" I squeaked, flustered beyond belief. I swatted weakly at his hand, but I was grinning so hard my cheeks hurt. "I'm not a baby!"
"Okay, okay," he laughed, dropping his hand but not letting go of my other one.
We started walking again, and the world felt brighter than the sun.
He noticed,he instantly noticed I was sad. Mama never notices. Papa never notices. Even Lyla just thinks I'm always okay...
I squeezed his fingers, my heart pounding a frantic, happy rhythm against my ribs.
Nobody ever manages to see through my faces. Nobody knows when the Angel mask slips. But Kai... he saw it. He fixed it. He made me happy in one second.
I looked at his profile as we walked—his calm expression, the way he looked ahead.
Talking to him makes me so happy!! He's mine. He has to be mine. He's the only one who knows how to make me safe and happy.
We continued to walk for a bit, the silence comfortable and sweet, until the trees began to thin out. We were nearing a familiar route—the lower path that led back toward my village.
I looked at our joined hands, watching his thumb brush lightly against my knuckles.
I was right. He knows me better than anyone. He treats me better than anyone.
Mama always checked my dress for wrinkles. Papa always checked if I was polite. Lyla always checked if I was happy.
But Kai… Kai checked if I was okay. He noticed when I was sad, he listened when I blabbered, and he didn't care if I wasn't perfect.
We were walking under the shade of a large oak tree when my feet just stopped moving. I couldn't take another step. The feeling in my chest was too big, too heavy to carry while walking.
Kai stopped instantly, looking back at me. "Lia?"
I gripped his hand tighter, staring at his boots. I felt seen, vulnerable, like I was peeling off the last bit of the Angel mask.
"Kai…" I whispered, my voice trembling. "Do you… do you actually find me pretty?"
He blinked, tilting his head. "What do you mean?"
I swallowed hard. "Last time… on the mountain. You put the blue flower in my hair. You said my smile was prettier when it wasn't forced."
I looked up, searching his face. "How did you know? Everyone else says my smile is perfect. Everyone says I look like an angel."
"It was just a lucky guess."
"Be honest," I pleaded, my voice cracking.
His smile faded into that serious, calm look. He waited.
"Honestly…" I sniffled, looking back down at my dusty shoes. "I don't find myself pretty. My hair is always messy because I run around. My eyes… they aren't special." I touched my face. "They are just pale brown. Like dirt. Like my hair. Just… average."
Tears started to prick at the corners of my eyes again.
"I'm nothing special. I'm not mythical like the stories. I'm just plain." A tear finally escaped, sliding hot down my cheek. "When people say I look nice… I don't believe them. I think they are just lying to make me feel better. Because they pity me."
I stood there, a small, crying, stripping away every defense I had. I waited for him to nod, to agree, to say that yes, I was plain, but I was nice.
"Well, I disagree."
My head snapped up. He was looking at me, his expression firm.
" You… you disagree?" I whispered. It was the first time he hadn't agreed with me.
"You're wrong about that," he said simply.
He stepped closer, closing the distance between us.
"You aren't supposed to blend in, Lia. You think you're plain because you aren't perfect like an angel? That's boring."
He pointed up at the sky, where the moon hung.
"Think about the Moon. In the middle of the day, it looks faded, right? But it's always there. And the stars… you have to wait for the darkness to see how beautiful they really are."
He looked right into my teary, pale brown eyes.
"I like your eyes the way they are. They are honest. And I like that about you, too. The way you are." His voice was low, leaving no room for argument.
"Don't let anyone else's words or opinions change that. Because I certainly won't change my opinion."
I stood frozen, my breath hitched in my throat.
He liked me. The way I was.
He reached out his free hand, his thumb gently wiping the tear track from my cheek.
"The reason why I found out you were faking your smile," he murmured, patting my head with that gentle, "is because it wasn't looking good on you."
I blinked, confused and captivated.
"Only fake flowers are flawless," he said, smiling softly. "Real flowers have crooked petals. They have life. And just like that… your real smile, and your real self, is prettier. That's why I found it prettier."
He smiled then—a genuine, warm expression. It was just for me.
"So be yourself around me, Lia."
My knees felt weak. My heart wasn't just beating; it was melting, dissolving into a puddle of absolute, terrifying adoration.
Only fake flowers are flawless.
He didn't want the Angel. He wanted the crooked, messy, real flower.
I looked at him, through the blur of my tears, and I knew. I knew right then. I didn't care about the village. I didn't care about Lyla or the Chief or the prayers to Celestara.
I only cared about him.
He reached out, his fingers gently brushing through the mess of my brown hair. He tucked a few loose, strands behind my ear, his touch lingering for a second.
"You need to brush your hair more, Lia," he murmured softly.
"Okie," I whispered, obediently leaning into his hand.
He looked down at my dress, brushing off a patch of dust on my shoulder. "And try not to go into the bushes so much."
"Okie."
He reached for my other hand, wiping a smudge of berry juice off my knuckle with his thumb. "And be careful where you step."
"Okie..."
He chuckled, a low, vibrating sound. "You're just saying 'okie' to everything. You're being too much of a good girl around me."
My head snapped up, and I shook it frantically, my cheeks puffing out. "I-I'm not! I didn't realize! I just... I just wanted to listen to you!"
He smiled, shaking his head, and then—he let go of my hand.
My heart stopped.
Panic, cold and sharp, surged through me. My hand shot out instantly, snatching his wrist and latching on with a desperate, trembling grip. I squeezed tight, my nails digging in slightly.
He looked down, eyes wide with surprise.
"Why did you let go?" I asked, my voice shrinking, terrified. "Don't... don't let go."
His expression softened, realizing my fear. "Lia, relax. I just want to give you something."
I blinked, sniffing. "What is it?"
"The blue flower," he said gently. "Did you lose it too? I didn't see it in your hair."
My chest tightened. I looked down at our feet.
"My... my parents found it," I whispered, the memory stinging. "They were angry I went alone. They burnt it. As a punishment."
Kai's face fell. "That's unfortunate. You must have been really sad."
He sighed, his blue eyes kind. "Let me do something for you. Just for a second."
He tried to pull his hand away again.
I hesitated. My fingers didn't want to move. If I let go, would he disappear like in the dream? I looked at him, searching for a promise in his eyes. He nodded once, slow and steady.
I swallowed hard and slowly, reluctantly, opened my fingers.
He didn't run. He leaned down toward the patch of grass near the path. He picked a small, delicate wildflower—not blue this time, but a pure, brilliant white.
He stepped back into my space. He carefully tucked the white flower behind my ear, right where he had fixed my hair.
"There," he said, stepping back to admire it. "You look cute."
My face burned. I grabbed the fabric of my dress. "H-How do I look?"
"Cute," he repeated simply.
My heart fluttered like a trapped bird. I wanted to hear it again!!
"R-Really?" I whispered. "Say it again?"
He smiled, patient and warm. "You look cute, Lia."
He gave me another one. They burnt the blue one, so he gave me a white one. He fixes everything. He fills every empty hole in my chest.
A dark, heavy thought settled over me—sweet and suffocating.
How can I make him stay?
If he leaves, the sadness comes back. If he leaves, I'm just the fake Angel again. I can't let him go. I have to tie him to me. I have to make sure he never, ever finds anyone else 'cute'.
I looked up at him, determination hardening my gaze.
"Kai," I said, my voice serious. "You have to promise me something."
He raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. "What can it be now? Are you going to ask for more headpats?"
I exhaled a shaky breath. "No. But... I'll promise you something first."
He tilted his head. "What is it?"
I stepped closer, looking straight into his blue eyes.
"I will never let you forget me," I declared, my voice trembling but absolute. "Never."
He looked surprised for a moment, then his smirk returned, softer this time. "Mhmm. That's cute. So, what do you want me to promise?"
I smiled, a desperate, happy smile. I reached for his hand again to seal it.
"I want you to promise to stay with me forev—"
ZZZZT!
A sharp, stinging shock of yellow electricity snapped against my fingertips before I could touch him.
I gasped, pulling my hand back, fluttering my fingers in pain.
"Kaiii!!!"
The voice came from behind me—high, sweet, and possessive.
My blood boiled instantly. The heat rushed to my ears, drowning out the forest sounds. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. The girl from the cave. The girl who claimed him before me.
Elfina.