Authors: Arvalee Knight
Nieves pulled away while shaking with apprehension. Her eyes lowered to the ground. She hadn’t expected to kiss him but she did.
Alric’s lips parted in awe of her. He cupped the side of her face, feeling the tips of his fingers caress her skin. Just enough, Alric pressed her chin up till she dared to look at him. It astonished him that her eyes were the color of gray winter skies.
He smiled just before capturing her lips. Slowly they pried their mouths open, tasting the sweetness of drunken delight. Alric took down a deep breath of Nieves’s skin while kissing her urgently. Never in all his years had he wanted something that much. He needed her. He craved for her. Desperate in every way Alric wanted nothing but Nieves.
Alric pressed against her, his lips capturing her more intensely. He enjoyed Nieves clasping the collar of his shirt and pulling to her heart’s content. It urged him to want her even more. He pushed her back against the arched bridge.
Nieves fought to keep up with Alric’s pace. His breathing was rapid. His hand was a pillow behind her head.
Alric sighed into her mouth. He pulled away from her, lips sliding down her neck.
Nieves released a sound she’d never made before.
He lifted off of her, his hand pressed into the wood beside her head. Alric breathed heavily, starring into those soft gray eyes Nieves had. “I am sorry,” he said. “I did not mean to get carried away.”
Nieves laughed turning her head to kiss the sensitive skin of his inner arm. She slid her eyes closed while saying, “It’s not your fault. I kissed you first.”
“I should have controlled myself better.” Alric took her hand and held it against his face, feeling her warmth. It burned brighter than any fire ever could.
Nieves watched him slide his eyes close. “Does this mean you’ll come inside now?”
“Inside?” asked Alric.
She nodded. “You’ve been gone most of the day. I was worried about you.”
He opened his eyes, linking his fingers with hers. “What time is it?”
“Time to eat,” Nieves said with a smile. “I’m starving.”
Alric was already pulling her to her feet and racing over the bridge. “Then let’s go,” he laughed, speeding around onto the path. He enjoyed holding her hand and knowing that someone was finally with him. He wasn’t completely alone in the world anymore.
CHAPTER 36
Alric leaned his head on Nieves’s shoulder as she read the next sentence of the story. She had told him it was her favorite fairytale as a child and that her grandmother had read it to her on stormy nights when she couldn’t sleep. Alric listened to her voice, trying to memorize it to the very last detail.
“Alric,” Aunty said, tapping on the shoji door and sliding it open. She poked her head inside ready to speak but the site of Alric sitting on the floor next to Nieves seemed out of the ordinary. And reading a book was definitely not normal.
He lifted his head and waited for her to continue.
“Er…” Her eyes lowered to Eliza and Jacob who were clinging to her legs. “Oh, yes. Can you watch Eliza and Jacob while I run a few errands in the city? I think it’d be best if they stay with you.”
Alric gave a nod of his head.
“Great.” Aunty slid her sunglasses down over her eyes and headed down the hall.
Eliza stood in the doorway clutching Jacob’s hand. Both of them were silent, their eyes nearly lifeless. Both Alric and Nieves could tell that something was bothering them to shredded pieces.
Nieves quickly put on her smile. “Would you like to hear a story?”
Eliza led Jacob over and sat down on the floor.
She closed her book, leaning forward. “Is there something wrong? You can always tell me, you know that.”
Eliza lifted her eyes. “What’s going to happen to Mia?”
Alric furrowed his eyebrows completely not in the mood to talk about Mia.
Nieves motioned the girl forward with a few flicks of her finger. Jacob leaned forward as well, ready and eager to listen. “Well, don’t tell anyone this because it’s a secret. But I know for a fact that Mia has a fairy godmother watching over her at this very moment.”
“Fairy godmother?” whispered Eliza.
She nodded her head. “So, don’t worry about Mia. She’s going to be fine.”
Jacob tugged on Eliza’s shirt.
Eliza somehow understood. “Can we see the fairy godmother?”
“Not really,” Nieves replied. “She only showed herself to me so I could let everyone know that everything’s going to be okay.”
Eliza gave a wide smile. “She only shows herself to princesses.”
Nieves would have protested but it seemed everyone had made up their mind on the topic. “So, what would the two of you like to do?”
“Hear the story,” mumbled Jacob.
Eliza repeated, “Jacob and I want to hear the story you were reading.”
Alric knew that Jacob never spoke unless he trusted someone with his life. His quietness seemed to evaporate with Nieves which was a very good sign. Perhaps he’d start talking without doing it under his breath.
Nieves opened her book and flipped to the first page. “On nights that are filled with stars, tiny little soul collectors will fly…”
Eliza moved to lie out on her stomach and Jacob did the same while filling the space between them. Alric laid his head back down on Nieves’s shoulder and closed his eyes. All three of them began to memorize her voice to the nth degree.
†
Mia fluttered her eyes open. The brightness of the room burned her eyes until her pupils adjusted. It was the smell of a hospital that made her realize where she was. She moved her eyes about the place, from the yellow curtain to the IV drip.
“Finally awake,” Wilhelm said, closing his folder that held more paperwork than she could ever imagine.
Mia slowly sat up but the needle in her arm jostled and it made her stomach cringe.
“You should lie down,” Wilhelm informed. “You almost died Mia. Do you understand that?”
Mia turned her head away and stared into the yellow curtain.
“Of course you do.” Wilhelm’s tone was stern and irritated. “You worried a lot of people including me.”
Mia began to wonder who had visited and who had cried. She remembered hearing Angel scream, and Angel’s warm tears dropping against her cheek. She considered the idea of Monsun and his reaction. She varied it from caring to stoic.
A hand forced her to look at Wilhelm who was now standing by her bed. She didn’t hear him move from the chair to her side. “Mia, Nieves called someone who can help you—”
“Good evening, Wilhelm.” The door to the office clicked open letting a small brisk wind of winter come inside. “I came to drop off some food for you.”
Wilhelm rounded the bed and moved out of Mia’s site behind the curtain. “Thank you. She’s awake now if you want to see her. I was telling her about what you did.”
“Great.” Nieves pulled back the yellow curtain with a smile and climbed onto the stool at the foot of Mia’s bed. “How are you feeling?”
Mia nodded her head, not in the mood to talk.
“Hm.” Nieves let out a breath of air. “I’ve been in the same position as you. Well, it wasn’t exactly the same but it was similar. I tried to kill myself when I thirteen. I thought it would be better that way.
“But my grandmother, who was a doctor, she helped me understand that there are better things than dying. She made me see that I have a place in the world. And that my parents’ death was not something I could have prevented.
“For you, I guess understanding that Monsun isn’t around won’t be the worst thing. See, my grandmother used to work with phobic patients and I think if you let her, she’ll be able to help you. Then you’ll be able to go into the city. We could go shopping and see movies together. I have so many places I want to show you and Alric.”
Mia turned her eyes to the curtain again. “Do you promise?”
“What?”
She turned and stared at Nieves in the eye. “Do you promise she can help me? Promise you’ll take me to the city?”
She gave a mischievous laugh. “You bet. I’ll take you everywhere. We’ll see so much you’ll get sick of the city and want to come back here.”
Mia laughed. “That’ll never happen.” Mia reached up with her free hand and grabbed the pain in her chest. “Do think it’ll ever go away?”
“No. But it’ll soften until it hurts only when you think about it.” Nieves knew the ache—the empty feeling where her heart was beating. “But you’re not alone. Angel is here for you. I am here for you. And Alric. He was very upset and worried about you.”
Mia widened her eyes. “Alric was concerned?”
“Yes. Very much.”
†
Dan sat down next to Rusuto with impatience. “She still hasn’t come out of her room. And she won’t eat anything.” He folded his arms across his chest. Angel had become secluded since yesterday when she found Mia nearly dead at that gazebo in Alric’s garden. The worse feeling in the world for Dan was to know he couldn’t help Angel in her loneliness.
Rusuto sipped from his tea cup before saying, “Give her some time.”
“How long?” Dan banged his head against the porch’s column.
Rusuto, for once, looked rather serious. “For as long as it takes her. The only thing you can do now is to listen when she’s ready to talk. To hold her when she’s ready to be held. To wipe away her tears when she’s done crying.”
Dan glared down into the dirt.
“I’m going to go make dinner,” Rusuto said as he stood.
“What?” Dan was frightened. “Sorry to burst your bubble, old man, but you can’t cook to save your soul.”
Rusuto gave an overly-exaggerated gasp. “Why I’ve never been so insulted in my entire life.” He gave a quick smile. “Actually you’re telling the truth quite well. Instead of me cooking we’re going to the main house to eat.”
Dan shivered. “On second thought I think I’ll risk my life with your food.”
“Nu-uh.” Rusuto wagged his finger. “Besides, from what I hear, Alric is as gentle as a puppy. Nieves has softened that icy heart of his into snow.”
Dan groaned. “Great, he’s got a snow heart.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll go get Angel and see if she’s coming with us.”
Rusuto gave a giddy laugh. “Hah-hah! I have succeeded in manipulation! I could be a ninja.”
“That’s not manipulation, stupid.” Dan stomped into the house, slamming the door closed and up the stairs to Angel’s bedroom.
He swallowed down the lump of apprehension stuck in his throat then tapped his knuckles against her door. “Um… Angel can I come in?”
There was no reply which meant to Dan that it was a “no” but he was going to take it as a yes.
He cracked open the door just a little then a little more until he could slide his body into the room. Angel sat on her bed, in the far top corner, her back pressed against the wall. She hugged her favorite stuffed bear as tight as she could.
Dan slid his hand behind his neck, rubbing it nervously. “Rusuto and I are heading to the main house for dinner. Do you want to come with us?”
Angel just stared into the pink comforter of her bed.
“Yeah,” he said as if to start a new conversation while walking over to her. He sat down and scooted until he could press his back against the wall as well. “I’m… not very good at comforting people but if you ever want to talk about what happened, you know where I live.” He gave a smile but it quickly faded.
Angel sat there for a moment then lifelessly crawled into Dan’s lap. She slid her arm around his torso, burying her head into his neck. Dan was shocked and frozen at first but he slowly embraced her. He held her tightly against himself, taking in her honeysuckle lathered skin. He remembered how much she liked the smell of honeysuckles, so much she bought the lotion and bath cream.
“Dan,” Angel muttered into his skin. “I was so alone with her dying in my arms.” He could feel her hot tears lace the skin of his neck and trickle down beneath his shirt. “There was so much blood. It-it was everywhere.” Angel moaned before releasing a series of sobs.
Dan went to speak but he remembered what Rusuto had told him. Listen. Just simply listen to her.
“I’ve never been so lost and confused.” Angel clawed her nails into Dan’s back but he didn’t move or flinch. “I wish you had been there with me. I wish you could have held me when I saw Wilhelm stitch up her wrist.” She sobbed.
“I’m here,” he blurted.
Angel looked up at him.
He gave a weak smile. “You’re so cute when you have tears on your face.” He lifted his thumb to wipe them away.
“Dan?” questioned Angel. “Do you love me?”
He swallowed his adrenaline. “Yes, I love you.”
“Are the two of you coming?” yelled Rusuto, who was most likely standing at the bottom of the staircase. “Without food, I’ll die, never to grow up and become a famous Broadway star like I’d always dreamed.”
Dan rolled his eyes at the typical Rusuto-behavior. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” He placed Angel on the bed and held out his hand for her to take. Angel slowly took it and followed him to the door.
“Finally,” Rusuto said with a wide smile. “I’m just dying of hunger.”