Cast & Fall (45 page)

“
Please
don’t be afraid. Close your eyes and do not open them until I
tell you,” he insisted. And as quickly as he said the words,
and as I closed my eyes, he clasped my arms around his neck,
interlacing my fingers and wrapped his arms around my waist, clasping
them securely.

“
Hold
tight,” he said.

It
took a mere second, when suddenly I felt light, like I was lifting
from the ground, and that Tristan was carrying me so effortlessly in
his arms. My feet couldn’t feel the ground. I felt one of his
hand unwound momentarily from my waist and he was holding me with one
hand as we slightly bent to soaring heights.

Then,
I was flying—we were flying.

I
felt my stomach heave as I had suddenly become aware of the feeling
of changes of gravity and the beating of the wind against my face and
body. It was something I have never felt before, and I could only
imagine the height of where we were and that was enough to make me
hyperventilate.

But
I was glad I was facing Tristan, he held my body close to his and the
length of him, shielded me from the suffocating air. I sunk myself
deeper unto the curved line of his neck—his scent, blocked all
of my senses and I was lost once again to nothing but the
exhilarating thoughts of
him
.
I suddenly couldn’t find a reason to be afraid. The wind beat
against us as we glided swiftly and effortlessly. I could’ve
stayed in his arms forever, my hands secured and our bodies locked
like magnet that no force can tear.

The
dark silhouette behind my lids was suddenly bright. I momentarily
found a gush of courage to curiously peek out. The dark clouds had
ripped open—the sky, blazing like the wind in streaks of
vibrant blue. My fear subsided gradually and I blinked as my eyes
adjusted to the blinding, but cool light of the sun.

Tristan
stared at me with a trace of awe in his expression and kissed me in
the dazzling light of the sky. And for a long moment, my emotions
scattered and spun into a shattered, unforgettable, breathtaking
bliss. I wasn’t sure how long he was kissing me, but I knew it
wasn’t long enough. It could never be long enough. I couldn’t
be certain how long we’ve been up in the air before our
movement slowed and I felt the pull of my own body as we glided lower
into the ground.

Tristan
held me gently but confidently with both hands. I closed my eyes
automatically. It didn’t take long until my feet felt something
solid. My fingers were still locked unto a clasp. I couldn’t
seem to find the strength to move yet or it could have been because,
I didn‘t want to detach myself from him.
“
You
can open your eyes
now,”
he whispered. I carefully moved my lids, and as my eyes coherently
adjusted
to
the breathtaking view of my new surrounding, I was thoroughly
surprised. It took a mere second as I cast one look at the blue
waters that surrounded us, and the familiar gleaming and moving white
vessel, and realized that my feet were planted at ‘
Amaranthine.’

“
Where
are we?” I asked, as I continued to soak the gleaming glass
surface of the sea.

“
It’s
better if you didn’t know. We’re safe here,” his
face looked calmer but the trace of anxiety in his voice still
lingered.

The
January air felt warmer than the winter cold that chilled the
southern air—still, I had no clue, where in the middle of
nowhere we were. But that didn’t matter. I trust Tristan and I
would go anywhere with him.

The
sky a perfect brilliant blue and the crystal expanse of the ocean,
glimmered crisp and clean across the horizon. I suddenly felt a
serene solitude embrace me. I immediately clawed my hand on the
railing and glanced below to the casting mirror of the water. I
breathed the ocean breeze as it stroked my hair. I went toward
Tristan and he held my hand as he led us toward a back entrance. My
steps felt unusually unsteady—almost feeling jet lagged from
our
flight
.

We
went around and he slid open the massive double doors in front of us
that led inside a spacious cabin. I didn’t see the
room
the several times I had been here before. The bedroom had clean
lines, very modern and boasted of its panoramic stretch view of the
ocean. I sat on the king size bed. Tristan followed me immediately.
He sat next to me, facing me. His expression was as calm as the sea.

“
This
boat…” he began to say. “Well, it’s not just
any boat… you’re safe here.”

“
What
do you mean not just any boat?”

“
The
boat is like…a projection of my abilities…of my powers
as an immortal; It’s real but not earthly. It’s hard for
me to explain it, but just as I am different than human, this boat
possess certain capabilities that are beyond that is of this world;
it’s an extension of my powers. That was one of the reasons I
brought you here before. No one will be able to harm you here…not
even the dephils.”

I
processed everything for a moment. I knew that being an immortal,
Tristan possessed certain gifts and abilities that is beyond what I
knew, and it really wasn’t very difficult for me to believe
anything anymore. After a brief moment, his face was suddenly
downcast. “I hate leaving you even for a little while, but I
need to take care of some things…I won’t take long at
all…I promise.”

“
Tristan…I
trust you. Go and come back soon.” He smiled then.

“
I
had Lucia shop for clothes for you, I hope you don’t mind.”

“
No,
I don’t mind…nothing matters more than you coming back
to me.” He stood up and kissed my forehead.

As
I watched him leave, I felt a deep, hollow ache crawling, burning
inside me, lingering in the intensity of the longing I was already
feeling. In an invisible moment, he was gone. I sat stiffly in bed
for a while and decided to yank my weak emotion away and replaced it
with determination. I needed to be strong. I had to prepare myself
for whatever it was that was coming after me.

I
cut through the muddle in my head and concentrated now on a
significant information that Tristan had told me in the past. He
mentioned that I had the ability to sense souls and spirits and that
I could see certain futures in my dreams. I wasn’t sure how I
could access and remember my dreams, but there must be some way. I
left the thoughts hanging in my head, keeping my mind open to
anything that I might suddenly unlock.

From
across the room, I effortlessly slid the first drawer open and
smoothed my fingers on the top pile of what I can assume was my
temporary wardrobe. If I didn’t know any better, I would have
thought, Lucia was immortal herself—how else was she able to
pull a shopping spree at a moment’s notice.

I
yanked the first layer of clothing and laid it on top of the drawer.
I dug in further, trying to keep my thoughts busy enough to block the
rising feeling of anxiety. I assessed the clothes. Everything felt
airy and feather light. I laid my selection on top of the bed and
headed to the walk-in shower which I found very quickly.

Tristan
mentioning about not being thorough came to mind, after seeing a
basket of bath products on the bathroom sink. Not only was he more
than thorough not to forget my human needs, but the products were in
French
and bottled in
some
fancy-and-oh-so-festive
trimmings
.

Obviously,
I didn’t speak
French
,
let alone read
French
,
so I settled on opening each bottle to track down the bottle of
shampoo. But to my surprise, the word
‘Le
shampooing’
labeled
bold-and-so-obvious caught my eye—and like just as I
thought—thorough.

After
I scrubbed myself more than necessary, I toweled myself dry and put
on a lilac dress with faint, pastel blossoms. I loved the way it felt
on my skin—light and soft. I headed back to the bathroom to dry
my hair when a wisp of air made me realize that someone was behind
me. I didn’t turn, though I could sense the heat of his eyes
from behind. His stare felt heavy, like
he
was
trying to read my emotions again. I slowly turned. I wasn’t
entirely sure If everything was real. I had to pinch myself more than
once. I had come to the conclusion a long time ago that nothing
especially spectacular has ever happened to me, but this is more and
even beyond that.
I
can’t believe he’s here already
.

“
You’re
back!” I shrieked, as I sprung myself to him and clutched my
arms around his neck. It was such an automatic response that I
quickly regretted it, as soon as my consciousness understood my
ridiculous over the top behavior.

He
chuckled. His face extremely amused. “I’m sorry,” I
said apologetically. “I usually don’t behave like this…I
promise.”

“
Don’t
be silly…I want you exactly like this.
Always.
”
His eyes beaming, piercing through me. And for a brief moment, I
hadn’t realized that I was still clutched to him and he was
carrying me with no effort. He barely kissed me when heat started
rising in my head quickly. He detached himself carefully.

“
You’re
feverish again…I better set you down,” he teased, still
amused…and before I could protest, “I got you
something…”
Oh…no!
another expensive present?

“
I
sensed expensive gifts isn’t exactly something you
preferred…so, I hope this would suit more your taste.”

I
was silent for a moment, almost hesitant, thinking, I’d prefer
an alternate gift to this. Good thing he couldn’t really hear
and read my thoughts.

“
Please!…”
he begged. “I really love giving you things…I can’t
help it…It sort of makes me happy,”
the
thought of making Tristan happy, snaps in my head. I would
love
more than anything to make him happy.

With
my lips curled into a smile, my eyebrows curved upward, and both my
palms stretched open and wide…“Well…give it,”
I said excitedly.

Just
then, he pulled a wrapped box from behind him. I eyed him carefully.
He gave nothing to clue me in as I carefully tore the paper and a
framed music piece flashed bright and beautiful in front of me.

“
I
wrote a song for you…you seem to prefer, me singing and
playing an instrument the last time you came to the house.”

“
This
is incredible…I don’t even know what to say!…thank
you!…I absolutely love it.” That was all I could manage
to say. Not nearly enough for what I actually felt. I was out for
words. I was absolutely surprised how he could pull off writing a
whole song in such a short period of time.

“
Do
you want to hear it?” his voice was too excited, I couldn’t
find the courage to ask about what had happened and what he did
during his brief absence.

“
Yes!”
I can barely contain my excitement as we headed to a grand stateroom
that looked very eclectic. I couldn’t focus much on it’s
many details. The open space looked modern with few vintage touches.
But my attention was too preoccupied on Tristan’s soothing
voice. I didn’t know how long it would take for me to get tired
listening to Tristan, singing. I don’t think I ever will.

“
Well,
enough with this for now…aren’t you hungry yet?”
he interrupted, after a couple of hours passed.

“
A
little,” I admitted.

He
headed to the adjoining kitchen and I followed him. He opened the
refrigerator and a tray of mixed berries caught my eye. He took it
out along with another tray of cheese and crackers.

“
We
also have pasta, bread and if you prefer cooking…chicken,
beef, fish?” he offered. “I’ll have the fruits,
cheese and crackers for now.”

We
sat on the dining table as I nibbled on the berries.

“
What
are we going to do now?…I can’t hide here forever?”
my voice was heavy as I chewed faster, feeling the anxiety rising
again.

“
This
is only temporary…even when we go back, I will never leave
your side. I would never let anything happen to you.” Tristan
kept saying the words, but we both knew that he couldn’t
guarantee for the
others
who seemed to be too determined to kill me. He interrupted my
thoughts.