Lost Ones

by Rute Canhoto

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Marina removed the key from lock and sat on the doorstep. She didn’t feel like entering the house. She just wanted sometime alone with the quiet of the night, to look at the sky and watch the stars, contemplate the moon... see something beyond her bedroom walls.

  It had been quite an interesting night out. The part of Dennis and Ana always kissing had been too lame, but the time spent on the esplanade was productive, since Joshua was talking to her again. What had upset her most was the mess with Joana. And how happy Joshua was after the hag kissed him? He even dared to say he didn’t like her. Yeah, right. Still, she had the impression that Joshua had been pleased by the kiss, but also by assuming that she practically shoved Joana just to be alone with him. If he thought that, he was wrong. She simply hated that idiot and that was it.

  She noticed then where she was sitting: on the doorstep, where that morning she had found a red rose. Hmm, red roses, enjoying the moonlight and the stars... She was getting too mellifluous for her taste. It was the result of Ana’s influence. Romanticism aside, it was late and she should get inside. She got up, picked the keys hanging from the butterfly-shaped key ring and looked for the right one. As she prepared to insert it in the lock, the hairs on her arms stood on end. It wasn’t just a mere cold wave that made her react that way - she had a bad feeling. A familiar sensation went through her and she deep down that she was being watched. She feared the eyes entrusted of such a vigil. Through the practice gained in recent days, she had learned not to devalue the impressions that took over her, so she decided to hurry. She slid the key into the slot, but was surprised by the sound of someone going down the arcade stairs in a fast pace. She jumped in fright. Realizing that the footsteps were distancing, she felt grateful, since she assumed that she had been spared to what was reserved to her.

  But was she really safe? And who would have spied on her? Marina wanted to slap herself for thinking on that, nonetheless she needed answers. She recovered the key, threw it into her purse and ran down the arcade stairs. At the end of the staircase, she paused and alternated her gaze between the right and the left. There was no one in sight. Listening to her intuition, she turned to the wall along the river and then she saw him: Lucas. It was him who had been in the arcade. Before he could escape her, Marina crossed the road in haste and without looking, and sprinted after him, catching him up quickly.

  “Wait,” she asked, with her voice almost failing her.

  The boy didn’t even slow down. Hadn’t he listened to her? Or would he be ignoring her on purpose? Marina got closer and put a hand on his shoulder to coerce him to stop. However, at her touch, he let out an agonized scream and fell on his knee, at her feet. His shout left her in awe; she feared what could have happened to him to make go down so easily.

  Lucas remained motionless and silent for what seemed like a thousand years. It was impossible that no one had heard that cry; they had to disappear swiftly, before people thought she was being attacked or something. She crouched beside Lucas, pulled his arm over her fragile shoulders and interlaced her fingers in his, to enable her to hold him better. Then, she forced him to follow her, staggering, back to the arcade. They climbed the stairs and ended sitting on the upper step. Lucas seemed to be making a great effort to control the pain he felt in his shoulder. He also looked paler than usual, though Marina figured that the street lights greatly contributed to this. She herself probably should have a ghostly air.

  Ashamed, and at the same time worried about the origin of his pain, Marina approached him. In a slow movement, she made her fingers run over the collar of his jacket, and began to undress him. Lucas covered her hand with his right away, to prevent her from taking his jacket off. She looked him with an expression that requested him to trust her. Lucas, despite his reluctance, eventually gave in. Since he was wearing a sleeveless shirt, it was easy to find out the reason of his suffering. Marina stifled a shriek, horrified, to find that the jacket was hiding a cut that encompassed almost the entire length of his shoulder. The wound bled profusely and didn’t look good. It seemed like someone had tried to cut his arm off with a single blow. She wanted to go home and get the first aid kit to help him, but soon put aside this hypothesis. She knew that, once she crossed the doorway, he would mysteriously disappear.

  “God, Lucas, you need to go to the hospital. That has to be disinfected and sutured. And the amount of blood you've already lost? We have to handle it now, before there are any serious complications,” she stammered, as she gestured agitatedly.

  “No,” he firmly replied.

  “Why not? Stop playing the lion-heart. Don’t tell me you're one of those crazy guys who have a sick desire of death.”

  Lucas laughed at that exaggerated assumption. He tried to calm by telling, “Don’t worry about this, really. Believe me when I tell you that I heal quickly. You'll see: tomorrow I'll be just fine.”

  Marina closed her eyelids and pressed the bridge of her nose with her fingers. The migraine she could guess prevented her from thinking clearly. She ignored the pain prevision and focused in the memory of Lucas fighting with the Gothic guy. He had recovered well from it, yet it was nothing compared with that.

  Almost begging, Marina whispered, “Let me help you. Let me go get oxygenated water to disinfect that at least. Please, don’t be so obstinate.”

  Lucas shook his head in disagreement. What a mulish guy! Would that hard mask be so important to the point of not putting it down for a while just to allow him to receive the help he needed? What to do then? A flash of lucidity pierced through the ache installed behind her eyes. The very next second, Marina knelt, took the scarf from around her neck and tore it in half. She pressed one part gently onto the wound, until it soaked in blood. She grasped the other half of the fabric next and wrapped it around the wound, to try to stop the bleeding. When she finished binding the scarf with a tight knot, Lucas pulled his jacket up and the injury disappeared from her area of vision.

  Marina placed her weight back on the step and sat down. The reddish hue of her bloody hands led her to stare at them with intensity. She hadn’t realized yet, but she was trembling.

  “I didn’t know what it was like to be in pain for a long time,” Lucas finally said, as he stirred uncomfortably, trying to prevent her from wandering through cloudy thoughts.

  Nevertheless, her spirit cried to her that his blow could be related to the ominous man on the pier. There she was, freshly arrived from a night out, while he nearly killed himself... for her. Reluctant, she inquired, “Lucas, your wound was made by...” She swallowed hard and mumbled, “… by that thing we know?”

  He merely nodded his head in agreement. He had no reason to deny it when she had long realized that something wrong was going on.

  Marina exasperated. What were they dealing with? What did it want from her and why would it also pursue Lucas? Lucas… she didn’t even want to imagine what had been done to him. Noting that the boy observed her as if waiting for a response, Marina let out a moan and confessed, “I was worried about you. You completely vanished.”

  “I saw your message in school, but I don’t understand why you were at unease. I came here every day and left you a greeting on the doorstep to assure you.”

  The roses! It had been him who left them. The ownership question of the gesture was solved. As for its meaning, according to him, it was intended to tell her he was okay. Really? Suspicious, and in a critical tone, she replied, “Sorry, but you didn’t even leave a card. I had no idea who had provided the roses nor what did they mean. Besides, in common sense, red roses mean something quite different...” and she blushed while remembering that they represented the passion fire. From that to a message that someone was in good health, was a great distance.

  Lucas tugged the right corner of his mouth, although nothing transpired. “I thought the rose appropriate”, he affirmed. “It reveals that, despite a thing being beautiful, it always conceals its thorns.”

  Marina snorted. A romantic gesture from Lucas
was asking too much; he was more a war kind of guy. He reminded her of a warrior recently out of a battle, struggling with inner demons that prevented him from rejoining the community.

  Lucas suddenly stood up and started down the stairs, leaving her stunned. So that was it, he was leaving just like that? Irritated, she threw herself behind him and caught him when he was crossing the street to walk along the river rail. Staying on the opposite side of the road, she begged, “Wait! What’s your phone number? I… I need to know that you’re fine and roses aren’t enough to reassure me.”

  “I have no phone,” replied Lucas while he turned his back to distance further.

  Don’t let him go like that, her inner voice cried out. Disturbed, Marina crossed the route up and only stopped when they were separated by a few inches.

  “Please, Lucas,” she insisted. “I'm begging you to tell me a way to contact you. Don’t leave me without an answer.”

  Lucas turned his back at her and froze in place. For being what he was, he had no phone, no home, no life... he had nothing. That was all he could give her - a handful of nothing.

  In a thoughtless act, Marina hugged him, showing that she cared about him. Slowly, Lucas broke free from her arms and took a step ahead. Marina thought that, once again, he would slip away and without telling her what she wanted to hear. However, she was surprised by his words, “If it's that important to you, I'll be at the skate park tomorrow for the entire afternoon. If you pass by there, you’ll see me. In fact, whenever you need me, go there. Who knows if you’ll find me there?”

  With that, he resumed his walk and moved away in a flash, merging with the darkness of the night.

  Marina remained by the rail, observing the direction Lucas had taken. Minutes later, she climbed the arcade’s stairs, went into her house, threw her purse onto the desk and settled on her bed. Her view pinned to her hands: the blood on them was drying. Feeling a little sick at that sight, she slipped into the bathroom and washed her fingers repeatedly. While watching the water running over her hands, she couldn’t help thinking that her hands had been stained with Lucas’ blood, metaphoric and literally. He had fought for her in three crucial situations. What else could he have done for her of which she had no knowledge? Lucas was a bottomless pit and he hid more mysteries than a treasure map.

  Marina put on her pajamas, and climbed into in bed. She was about to shut her eyes when the phone vibrated with a text from Joshua. ‘Do you wanna do something with me tomorrow? Dennis and Ana can come too,’ said the message. Sleepy, she typed, ‘Tomorrow is no good for me. Can we leave it for Sunday?’ Joshua’s response came shortly after, saying, ‘Okay. Tomorrow we’ll set things. Have a nice weekend.’ Moments later, her heavy eyelids won and she slept soundly.

  The loud drone of the vacuum cleaner awoke her the next morning. Astonished, she snagged the phone to check the time. 12.20p.m. What? It was true that she had fallen asleep after 2.30, still she didn’t expect to lie in until that time. Annoyed, she stretched out on the bed and stood up. Put on her slippers and went to the kitchen, where she found the table already set.

  When her mother saw her, she got a frightened by her terrifying appearance. “Yikes!” mom shouted. “I was going to wish you good morning and ask you how your night went, but your look says it was chaotic, the very least.”

  Marina rubbed her eyes. Could she look that bad? She shrugged and retreated to the bathroom. When she looked into the mirror, she recoiled with fright. She really did look awful. Besides having her hair scruffy, she had forgotten to wash her eyes to get the make-up off, which had turned into two huge black spots. It was normal that she had forgotten to deal with that small thing, when she was so busy trying to get rid of Lucas’ blood. She washed her face to look more presentable, combed her hair and tied it high on her head.

  “I’m still waiting for you to tell me how your big night out was,” shot mom as her view landed on her daughter.

  Marina rolled her eyes until they stopped in her mother’s figure. What balance could she make from last night? At first, it had been a major bummer; it improved when she reached an agreement with Joshua about their friendship, and it got worse again when the hideous Joana arrived. From zero to ten, that part of the night was a seven. After that, she felt happy to see that Lucas was fine, and felt flattered by the fact that he had been the one leaving her the red roses at the door. On the other hand, she was worried about the injury on his shoulder. Note? An eight. Okay, to be fair, the two moments were tied at a seven and that was it.

  Her mother tapped her foot with impatience, forcing her to respond. Feeling pushed, Marina said, “It was... I don’t know, different. What do you want me to tell you? I don’t go out at night that much to have a frame for comparison.”

  “But did you at least have fun?”

  Starting to get frustrated with that conversation, the girl replied, “Fine. I had fun and it was nice. Is this what you want to hear?”

  Mom frowned and, with a serious expression, affirmed, “I see that you didn’t find it much fun. Would you mind having lunch now? I have to work this afternoon, so I have to leave home at 1.30.”

  Lunch passed in a hurry. In less than an hour, Marina was already cleaning her room, as her mother went out to work. With her mom on service, this meant that she had the afternoon to herself. Great! She could go on her date with Lucas in peace. Unlike what had happened when she attributed such word to classify the walk with Joshua, this time the term came to her naturally and nothing inside ordered her to sweep it away.

  After tuning the radio to her favorite station, she changed her bed sheets, wiped the dust and vacuumed everything. Before washing the floor, she grabbed a pair of gym pants, as well as a half sleeved sweater. Since she was going to meet Lucas, she should make a bigger effort to look good, but she would find him at the skate park, a place focused on sports. What would they do there? It was better to choose a casual look. Would he be there already? If he had a phone, it would be easy to ask him, as he would always be contactable. A crazy idea crossed her mind: what if she offered Lucas a phone? She remembered having seen very cheap phones in the store where she had bought hers. It was obvious they hadn’t all the features that hers had, but they served for the main purpose: to send texts and to call.

  She looked at the clock on the bedside table and noticed that it was 2.40p.m. She had taken ages to clean her room, but she still had enough time to get ready and put herself on the way to shop. She got dressed, put on her trainers, placed her hoop earrings in her ears and put on the watch she had worn the night before. She penciled her eyes to highlight its outline and put on a little bit of perfume. Shortly afterwards, she left home.

  The afternoon was sunny and it felt good walking in the sun. Although Autumn had arrived a short time ago, that seemed one more day of farewell to the Summer: the heat was higher than usual for that time of the year and the birds chirped and sang. In less than ten minutes, she arrived at the store and found the clerk opening the door. Upon seeing her, the woman smiled warmly and greeted her. The employee entered and Marina followed her. While the clerk installed herself behind the counter and put on her most professional look, Marina decided to inspect the showcases. Suddenly, she stopped. There it was a cheap one. It didn’t matter that it was an old model; the important thing was to fulfill the goal of allowing two people to communicate.

  Marina approached the employee, who had been entertained staring at her while combing the corners of her memory, trying to figure out from where she knew her. When she finally recognized her, the woman said, “Good-afternoon. How can I help you? Don’t tell me the phone you bought is not working properly.”

  “It’s working wonderfully. I came to buy another. I want the one that's in that showcase, please,” said the girl, pointing to the product in question.

  The clerk smiled, snagged the showcase’s key and went to the show window, to get the phone Marina indicated. As she took it to the counter, she asked her, “Would you like
me to insert the card that comes with the phone to make sure it’s working properly?”

  Marina assented with her head. She hated dealing with electronic devices, so it was better to let the nice lady do it.

  After everything was checked and functional, Marina paid and left the store with her latest acquisition. She thought it was money well spent, as it would spare her a few nights of insomnia; she would feel more relaxed knowing that Lucas was fine.

  Further ahead, a pertinent question came to her mind: the skate park was on the south bank, meaning she had to move to the other side of river. The pedestrian bridge was at the other extremity of the main avenue, so she would have to walk a long way there. Marina stared then at the road bridge right ahead of her. It had been remodeled a few years ago and the gangway had been extended, allowing the crossing of pedestrians and cyclists. She decided to cross there, though it combined the two things that were related to her accidents: water and cars. She put her hand on the railing and took a deep breath to muster the necessary courage. A bit anxious and agitated, she hurried to go through it. In less than a minute she was on the south bank, to her relief.

  Marina continued her journey, walking along the river. If on the other side she dreaded it, there her fear was reinforced for there was no wall separating her from the water. Between the side-walk and the river was only a piece of land with grass, as if she was on a grassy beach. She thought it best to hurry up.

  A minute later, Marina arrived at her destination. She turned to the half pipe and found Lucas on a skateboard, travelling the platform. Instead of gliding, Lucas seemed to fly, as if he was in his natural element. Fascinated, she sat on the stone bench nearby to watch him. When he ascended to the platform, he looked down and saw her at last. Lucas gave her a short nod and smiled at her with his typical expression of maleficent. A delicious sensation of seductive danger travelled through her as if he had just promised something fiery... and how she would like him to fulfill it! Marina rebuked herself for having such inappropriate thoughts, as she felt her face burning.

  After passing the skateboard to a kid next to him, Lucas walked off the platform and joined her. Upon seeing him come to her, Marina politely got up. He, however, wasn’t with half measures and sat at the edge of the seat, to lay down next, supporting his back on the seat and extending his arms at full length behind his head line. He was panting, so he shut his eyes and tried to catch his breath. Marina relished those moments, during which she could freely contemplate his pleasant muscles under the white sleeveless shirt. The guy had a fantastic body.

  Absorbed in her contemplation, Marina’s eyes slid from his face to his shoulder. Barely believing what she was seeing, she dropped herself on the floor, sitting cross-legged and leaned sideways to the bench. She dropped the bag she was holding and focused on what was in front of her. Her trembling fingers moved in a nervous gesture and touched the pink surface. It was impossible! She was sure that the previous night that wound was bleeding and it looked very ugly. Now, it was only a thick scar line between pink and red.

  Feeling her touch, though it was gentle, Lucas winced and complained, “Ouch! I know that the wound is barely visible, but it ain’t fully healed. It hurts when you touch it.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” retracted Marina, a little bit confused.

  She was dazzled by the scar and couldn’t stop herself from touching it, as if she wanted to be sure that she wasn’t imagining things. She wanted to ask him how it was possible, but something in her heart assured her that he wouldn’t answer.

  Moments later, she relaxed and chuckled, as if she had remembered some joke she had heard at another time.

  “What are you laughing about?” inquired Lucas, curious.

  Marina thought it was better not to share what had crossed her mind. Nevertheless, after staring at his once-opaque eyes but now harmless, she let herself go with the moment. After a short giggle, she admitted, “I was thinking of the theories we’ve been weaving about you. When I fell off the bridge and saw you, I found it all very strange, so I talked to Ana. Of course she considered me crazy, but then she lined up this kind of a joke, in which we try to guess what you are for fact.”

  Putting his hands under his head to support it, he said, “I’m not sure of what to say about that. So, to what conclusions did you come?”

  Marina sighed and reported, “None. Yet! The first theory held that you were a vampire.”

  Lucas burst out laughing. They had thought he was a vampire? Cold, very cold and far from the truth. On the other hand, and given that vampires were in fashion, he could even consider it a compliment. Shaking his head from side to side, he assured, “I'm not a vampire. Oh, so that's why in Philosophy class you said you were trying to see if I had fangs.”

  “I know, ridiculous behavior, unfortunately. No fangs and you walk in the sun; this theory doesn’t check. By the way, I’m ‘Team Jacob’, so... are you a werewolf?”

  There was a new and even noisier laugh from him. Marina loved to hear those chuckles that were so neat and clear, that made the air swing in a sweet vibration. Definitely, he should laugh more often.

  The boy shook his head and denied, “The last time I checked, I wasn’t a werewolf.”

  Marina pulled a face of thoughtfulness. With a hand on her chin, she said, “OK. What about Superman? Hum, if you were Superman, you wouldn’t have got injured, unless the evil shadow used kryptonite. Logic still led me to wonder whether you were involved in the magical rites of the tribe you descend from, but as you told me that you don't know much of them, I also put this hypothesis aside.”

  So many far-fetched theories and she seemed no closer to the truth. Elf, fairy or a warlock? A piece of a bad way, that’s what you are, she thought. She felt like a feather taken by the wind when she was near him. She only hoped that wind would remain a breeze and didn’t turn into a destructive hurricane.

  There was one more conjecture to expose, so she let it out, “I just couldn’t refute the latest speculation presented by Ana, in part because my research on the Internet didn’t reveal much of what characterizes these mythical beings.”

  “Hey! You’re even looking this up on the Web? So much work just because of me? You just got me curious. Go on, tell me what’s the hypothesis that’s close to be irrefutable.”

  With doubt dancing in her eyes, Marina confessed, “Ana said that maybe you’re a fallen angel.”

  Lucas’ smile instantly faded out when he heard those words. He turned his face in the opposite direction, so that Marina wouldn’t see the expression that haunted him. It was as if a dark cloud had blocked the bright shiny sun and threatened to bring down a deluge that would take the joy of that day.

  Lucas didn’t utter a word for a long time. Feeling forced to return to the present, he groaned. He stared back at Marina and shook his head, saying, “No. I'm no fallen angel.”

  He was no fallen angel, but the concept had stirred him, which shocked Marina. She had never assumed that he would react that way to a foolish guess. She knew that Lucas was related to the supernatural world, nonetheless, inwardly, she had kept a secret hope that he would present a rational reason for his extraordinary talents. His attitude, however, indicated the opposite direction. Lucas sat on the bench and joined hands, interlacing his fingers. He tensed his jaw and held his gaze to the floor.

  Although she was still stunned, his movement made her jump up. After a minute of silence, Marina quizzed, “Will you tell me what you really are some day?”

  Lucas shrugged, without taking his eyes off the ground, and rubbed his hands nervously. He gulped and replied in a tone that almost sounded a warning, “Marina, there are doors that, once crossed, get closed and don’t let you turn back. What you get to know doesn’t disappear nor get better. Are you sure that you’re willing to bear the burden of this unfortunate knowledge?”

  Hesitant, the girl nodded. She was terrified of what could be hidden behind the mentioned door of single direction, but it was b
eyond it that resided the explanations she sought.

  Lucas didn’t seem very sure of himself. He ended up murmuring, “I can only say that I am... a Lost One.”

  Marina rose from the floor. She made him turn on the seat and sat beside him. She raised his right arm, placed it on her shoulders, and curled up in his chest. It felt nice being like that, leaning against him; it was as if she had just come home.

  In her naivety, she replied, “You may have got lost, but if you want, I don’t mind being the lighthouse that guides you through the dark night.”

  Hearing that pleased Lucas a lot. Having her there, whispering those words as a sincere oath without even knowing what risks she might face, fled all logic. It was like asking a lamb to willingly go to the slaughter. Despite that, he couldn’t but rejoice with it. Yes, he was selfish.

  He held her tighter and whispered in her ear, “I wish I had found you before. However, it’s best for you to stay away from me. I'm not good and it’s risky for you to have me around. Have you noticed all the bad things that have happened to you since you met me? It was all my fault...”

  Marina felt Lucas squirm in place. He seemed even icier, which indicated that he felt in fact responsible for what had happened to her. How could that be? He had saved her when she had been in trouble. She couldn’t let the guilt consume him. “I don’t see it that way,” she said. “In my perspective, you always showed up at the right time and I owe you my life. I hope that you let me help you too.”

  Lucas gave her an affectionate kiss on the head. It was nice to have someone like her, interested in his issues and willing to help.

  They remained there, intertwined and forgotten in their particular cosmos for a good few minutes, until Marina jumped in place. “Oh, I brought you something,” she exclaimed. Marina picked up the paper bag and handed it to Lucas with a smile.

  “For me?” Lucas asked, surprised. The bag was opaque, so he couldn’t guess its contents. He made it rattle, but Marina threw him a look of censorship, revealing that he could damage what was inside. Finally, Lucas opened it and took the device.

  “A phone?” he said, astounded. He didn’t expect her to bring him anything, much less a phone. In a second, he reviewed his behavior toward her; he had been more unpleasant than friendly. He didn’t deserve her to be so generous. Saddened, he explained, “Thanks, but I cannot accept this. I can’t allow you to waste your money on me.”

  Marina smiled and looked down as she contradicted, “Actually, I spent it on me. It was an egocentric decision. Hey, I'm just watching over my mind! Don’t you know the pile of nerves I turn into when you disappear for days? I know you deal with things... uh, weird. Imagine that you get hurt and need help. How would I know? Ah, the red rose’s thing doesn’t work. I mean, I love then, but soon I’ll have my mother demanding to know who’s the secret admirer that sends me flowers…” she interrupted herself. Realizing what she had just said, Marina reddened and uttered, “… not that you’re a secret admirer of mine, of course.”

  Lucas lowered his eyes, embarrassed, focusing on the phone instead. It was a small device, lightweight; it could be easily stored in his pants’ pocket. He looked at her and questioned, “Is it really important for you to be able to contact me at any time?”

  “Sure!” she responded promptly.

  Maybe she shouldn’t have answered so fast. What did that denote? That she was very interested in controlling him? It was nothing like that. She just wanted to know if he was okay, if he needed her help... or her.

  “Okay then. I'll try to carry the phone always,” he agreed at last.

  Marina smiled in triumph: she had won. She just hoped that he fulfilled his share and actually walked around with the device. Thinking about it, in fact she was trying to control him, but it was for a good cause.

  She took the phone from Lucas’ hands, switched it on, and waited until it was operating. After that, she took hers out of her pocket and put it to call. Embarrassed, she mumbled, “I hope you don’t mind, since the phone is yours, but I noticed that it could download songs, so I transferred you one. You may choose the ringtones you want, but when I call you, you’ll know it’s me right away as this is the music you’ll hear.”

  Her phone beeped, calling, and music was heard on Lucas’:

  ‘I'm not giving up,

  I'm not giving up on us.

  I said I'm not giving up

  I'm not giving up on love.’

  Marina turned redder than a pepper with shame and she hastened to explain, “I know that the lyric is... but it’s has a good rhythm. It's Armin Van Buuren with Sophie Ellis Bextor. I think it conveys good vibrations.”

  “It seems a nice song... and cheerful, like you,” replied Lucas amiably.

  Carrying on her explanation, Marina added, “My phone number is also recorded in the speed dial. Just press key number one for a while and it will call me automatically.”

  Lucas smiled at her, thankful, locked the keyboard and put the phone in his pocket. Then he pushed her away from him in a courteous gesture and stood up. Marina did the same. The boy stretched himself and calmly stepped to the side. Marina copied him once again. With a more provocative stance so typical of him, Lucas took another step and Marina did the same.

  “Are you afraid that I'll run away?” he joked.

  “You never know…” retorted Marina almost singing.

  Lucas took two steps to the side, testing her. While doing it, he said, “Watch me, I'm going to run away. Careful, that I’ll run. Look, here I go and, oops, I'm gone!”

  Marina smiled and took the same number of paces, until Lucas started running across the grass. She followed him, always laughing, until she made him fall to the ground without effort. Both rolled on the grass, chuckling. Lucas lay with his belly up to air with his legs bent. Marina rested her head upon his chest and lay in the same position as him.

  When he regained his breath, Lucas said, “It's been so long since I did this! I'd forgotten how it was...”

  “What? Running on the grass? To escape from a lunatic who wants to control you with a mobile phone?” joked Marina.

  “Putting things in those terms, you're scaring me. But what I mean is that I haven't spoken with anyone for a long time. It seems that centuries have passed since my last conversation.”

  Lucas seemed far away and his mood revealed bitterness. She couldn’t allow him to surrender to sadness. He had to be happy and to enjoy the moment – ‘carpe diem’.

  Therefore, she rushed to answer back, “Now that we’re beyond the stage when you just antagonized me and tried to entice me, we can talk whenever you want.”

  Lucas got up on his elbows and assumed a smirk full of lust, leaving her puzzled. In a tone overflowing sensuality, he murmured, “Who said it gave me no pleasure to torment you to delirium? And look, I saw you very close to...”

  Do something reckless? Maybe. Only his rude behavior demoted her. Now that she had beaten his despicable mask and scrutinized his depths, she was happy. She never thought to find such good things inside him. But he was winning now! It was her turn to strike back before he would make her feel more ashamed.

  “Since we’re in a mood for talking about everything... you miss school a lot. Do you think you can leave supernatural things quiet for a few hours and attend classes?”

  Lucas giggled for a long time. Hey, she wasn’t a laughingstock! She knew nothing about his life, nor how the fight against Evil worked. Nevertheless, she thought that, if he had committed to the school, he should strive to attend classes.

  When he was able to talk, he said, “You know, I don’t control that. I promise I'll try to miss classes as less as possible, okay? But you know, sometimes it's like the poet Luís de Camões once said - other higher values a​rise.”

  Giving in a little, Marina proposed, “If you want, I can help you. We can study together for tests. That way you won’t fall behind.”

  Lucas shook his head in a mixture of satisfaction and guilt. It was
all so simple for her: she had the school and concerned only with that. She had no idea of how much was at stake and all he had to do for her. It was better that way. He wished she had a normal life.

  Marina felt him shaking his head and commented, “I know, it’s a stupidity of mine. Tiny details compared to what you have to deal with. In part, I understand you, but I’ll never be fully able to do it if you don’t let me enter your world. Someday… I know that one day you’ll give me this honor.”

  Honor? There was no glory in entering his alternative universe - it was a horrible, endless nightmare from which he could not wake up. Hearing her words almost made him angry. However, irritation quickly faded as Marina rolled over and gave him a sweet kiss near his lips, catching him off guard.

  She turned to nest in his chest, as she noted, “I think we need to cheer up. Enough of serious stuff. Do you want to hear a joke?”

  That was something Lucas didn’t expect, although he appreciated the tact with which she had changed subject. Marina had had the sensitivity to understand that things were taking a direction he didn’t want to follow and had preferred to talk about silly stuff to perk him up.

  The next hour were spent leaned against each other, telling jokes, some not funny at all, but still they laughed. After a while, they were both tired and their abdomens complained of so much laughter; the silence installed and they merely enjoyed the company of each other.

  When two guys passed by them commenting the time, Marina stood up, stunned.

  “What?” Lucas asked.

  “I gotta go. My mom went to work, but she’s almost returning and I don’t want her to know that I was gone,” Marina explained as she cleaned the grass from her clothes.

  With an eyebrow raised, Lucas questioned, “Why?”

  “Because there are things she doesn’t have to know, since they belong only to me,” she replied in a low tone, embarrassed. Certainly he wouldn’t expect her to tell her mother that she had spent the afternoon with a guy, who she embraced, and that she had lain her head on his chest. If she only knew...! Marina couldn’t even imagine it.

  “Okay, I’ll walk you home.”

  Lucas rose too and shook his clothes. He went to the half pipe to get his coat and returned close to her, making her a sign that they could get going.

  When they arrived at the bridge, Marina instinctively grabbed Lucas' hand and laced her fingers in his. The boy said nothing, and just corresponded to her gesture. A wave of security pervaded her right away and she crossed the bridge without a hint of fear or anxiety.

  Neither of them spoke on the way to the old building.

  After reaching the place, Marina opened the door. She passed Lucas the bag with his cell phone accessories and apologized, “I’m sorry. I would invite you in to eat something, but my mom must be nearly here, so it’s best not to tempt fate.”

  Lucas agreed. They were both sad, because the wonderful afternoon they had was about to end, and neither of them wanted that to happen. They wished they could suspend time.

  “Looks like it's time to say goodbye. Don’t forget to have your phone always turned on and with you, okay?” requested Marina.

  Lucas smiled and nodded affirmatively, “Okay, boss. You can rest about that.”

  Their faces took on heavier expressions due to the weight that the emotion of goodbye entailed. Marina approached him, but for what? She was no easy girl. She was rational and wouldn’t do anything she would regret later, right? Still, her heart was trying to overlap reason with urgency; it wanted Lucas to be bold and to kiss her. She almost felt her body begging him to do so. She wanted to control herself, yet she couldn’t.

  Their eyes clung to one another and Lucas gulped. Neither seemed willing to take the next step, until Lucas finally reacted. He pulled her to him and embraced her hard, as he whispered, “Thank you for caring about me. Thank you for this wonderful afternoon. Thank you for existing and thanks for being the way you are.”

  His words made her vibrate, stroking her soul. She wanted more, much more: she wanted the kiss she craved for, there, when he broke the hug, Marina didn’t move away. She raised her hand and made it slip, slow and auspicious, over his face.

  Lucas knew what she was asking for, but he felt he couldn’t risk it. Forcing hard to control himself, he put a hand on the back of her neck with gentleness. He applied a long kiss on her temple. He leaned his forehead to her, and with his eyes closed, he whispered, "No. Not yet."

  He walked away smiling and went downstairs almost at a leap. Marina remained in the same place, feeling every particle of her being pulsing disorderly. She was sure that, if she tried to move, her legs would not obey or they would do something weird. They hadn’t kissed, but it had been a moment so intense. She stayed in the same spot until a car honked, as she was in its way, preventing it from passing. Startled, she came out of the dreamy trance. After waving to the driver by way of apology, she opened the old building’s door and went inside.

  As she went to her room, an impertinent question hammered in her head: why didn’t he kiss her when he had hinted to her so many times? Could it be a façade? Would he be… a virgin? She turned red just to think of the word. She wasn’t referring to the sexual area, but to the kiss - could he never have kissed a girl? She had serious doubts about this ‘virginity’, although he kept people away from him by taking shelter under that appearance of nasty dude. She wondered if he ever had given another girl the opportunity to really know him. It would be naive to think he hadn’t. But what was that? She was experiencing a jealousy crisis about ex-girlfriends, when she didn’t even know if they existed? Idiot, she criticized herself. Why would she engage in negative things, when she was so happy to have discovered that he also felt wobbly legs when she was with him? It was a reason to rejoice. She wanted to throw herself onto the bed and burst with happiness. She turned on the radio and heard the strains of ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga. An irresistible desire to dance took over her, so she rose up on the bed and started leaping, while shouting, “I don’t care if it is a bad romance! For me, it's all good.”