by E. J. Mellow
I slip out of my shorts and slide into the black pants. The material clings tightly to every curve of my legs and butt. Though it’s an extremely flexible fabric, I can tell that it’s protective of every inch of my skin beneath, like some sort of body armor. Lastly, I tug on the black boots that reach a little bit higher than my ankles. I sigh…at least something fits me. I lace them up over my pants and, standing on my tippy-toes, glance into the mirror to see my full figure.
I bark out a laugh. I would never wear something like this. I look like some sort of dominatrix searching for a pet. Even with the pants covering me completely, I feel more exposed than I did in my tiny shorts. They are just so tight. Aveline really is a stick.
Pulling my hair into a ponytail with a tie I find around my wrist, I take a deep breath and exit the bathroom. Approaching the end of the hallway, I catch the three of them sitting around the dining table talking in fast whispers, and I grow uneasy.
Dev sits at the head of the table and sees me reenter first. His eyes go wide and then slowly grow dark and a bit frightening as he takes in my appearance. My stomach turns at the thought that I must look more ridiculous than I presumed. Deciding I won’t let this bother me any more than it already has, I raise my chin and pull out a chair next to Tim, who, like everyone else, has stopped talking.
Tim recovers faster than the others. “If I didn’t know better, I would have thought you belonged here, Molly. Those clothes suit you very nicely.”
“Really? I feel kind of ridiculous in them, to be honest. I don’t normally wear anything like this.”
“Obviously,” Aveline mutters under her breath, and I give her a cold look. Yeah, I don’t know about the befriending thing anymore.
Dev suppresses a chuckle, and I refuse to acknowledge him.
“So, Timon, that’s an interesting name. I’ve never heard it before,” I say, letting his charming face set me at ease.
“Yes, it’s not that common. It’s a biblical name and means wisdom.” Given the meaning, it’s very fitting. He seems to exude his namesake in those sparkling brown eyes.
“Everyone’s name has a meaning. Aveline, for example”—he motions toward her—“means life.” He flashes her a radiant, fatherly smile, and she holds his look with apparent love. I wonder who this guy is to them.
“Dev”—he places his hand on Dev’s muscular shoulder—“is short for Devlin, of Irish origin, and means fierce courage.” Dev seems slightly embarrassed at the sound of his full name, and Aveline chuckles.
“What?” I ask, not seeing the humor.
“Devlin thinks his name sounds feminine.” Aveline laughs again, and the sound is light and twinkles like bells. It’s an infectious sound, and I find myself growing happy listening to it. I much prefer her this way.
Dev scours and pushes her shoulder. “Shut up.” This makes her giggle more, and Tim smiles, watching their sibling-like exchange. Seeing how they must interact on a daily basis, laughing and joking and teasing each other, I feel slightly removed from this close-knit group.
“So, Molly, where you come from, you have a last name as well. What is it?” Tim asks.
A bit confused by the phrasing of his question, I say, “Spero, uh, my last name is Spero.” Everyone goes quiet. Dev, Aveline, and Tim share a stunned look. “What? What is it? Does it mean something bad?” I ask, glancing from face to face.
Tim clears his throat. “Molly, which originates from Mary, can mean star of the sea. And Spero…” He pauses, making eye contact with Dev. “Spero means hope. So your full name can translate to mean—”
“Star of Hope,” Dev finishes in a whisper.
—∞—
“Star of Hope,” I repeat. “Okay…so?”
All three of them stare at me. Aveline’s familiar frown is back. Tim studies me intently, and Dev…well, Dev looks like he’s trying to see inside my soul. His blue eyes grow slightly unfocused as if he’s remembering something.
“Why are you guys looking at me like that? It’s just a name.” I laugh lightly, trying to bring the mood back to the levity of earlier.
“You must excuse us,” Tim says. “Here, names have great meaning and importance. It’s sort of prophetic for what one will be capable of accomplishing.”
My eyes narrow. “Where is here?”
Without missing a beat, Tim gently pats me on the back. “We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”
Another nonanswer. “What does that even mean?” I can’t hide the exasperation in my tone.
Tim doesn’t expand; instead, he displays a sad, understanding smile. I’m so sick of getting this look. Why is no one answering me? First, Dev out on the fire escape, and now Tim. And what’s so secretive that they can’t tell me? If I’m only dreaming, then what’s the big deal? God, I want to pull my hair out from agitation.
Throwing my elbows on the table, I place my face in my hands, letting out a giant sigh. Not the most mature way to act, but at this particular moment I don’t really care. These people have already seen me in my underwear.
The snap of the logs crackling in the fireplace grows louder as the silence stretches through the apartment. I know everyone’s attention is on me, but I refuse to acknowledge them. My mind is in overdrive trying to come up with answers to where I am and what’s going on. Could this really be a dream? I remember being with Jared and getting into bed and falling asleep. And then it’s like I just woke up here…
I whip my head up. “Dev, you said out on the fire escape that you liked what I was wearing tonight better than what I was wearing last night…”
Dev’s smile is impish. “You liked that, huh.”
I wave my hand like I’m swatting away a fly. “No, I mean, you said you saw me last night.”
He suddenly grows serious and something about the fact that I was able to remove his self-satisfied grin pleases me. “Did I say that?” he asks innocently.
“You just admitted you did.” I scowl. “You also said to Tim that I’m the wonder you were telling him about. If we’ve never met, how could you talk about me?” Seconds tick by as we hold each other’s gaze, mine growing more confident now that I know I’ve caught him, and his looking more aggravated that he was obviously caught.
The sound of metal scraping against the wooden floor draws my attention to Aveline standing. “I know you two would love to stare into each other’s eyes all day, but we have rounds to make, Dev.” She hits him on the shoulder. He holds me captive a second longer before a small, mischievous expression creeps across his mouth, and he stands.
“That’s it? You’re not going to explain yourself?”
“I have nothing to explain.” Dev calmly turns around.
Have I mentioned that I find this guy annoying?
I watch in aggravated silence as they open a closet hidden against the wall adjacent to the front door. It’s so seamlessly placed that I didn’t notice it earlier when I came in. The two doors let out a huff of air as they smoothly open and track into the walls. A bright blue-white light shines out. Inside are all sorts of strange, innocuous-looking black objects encased in a glowing plush material, as if they are being charged by it. There are long black sticks, black baseball-sized spheres, and cubes. In the center are three familiar-looking quivers, and above each are smooth black batons. Dev and Aveline each pick up a quiver, leaving the third in the center, and collect the batons.
Dev gracefully handles the objects like they are old friends and straps the quiver to his back, allowing the black baton to be sucked inside. An image of him standing over me in the field with a quiver strapped in the same place flashes through my mind. When was that?
“Alright, Tim, we’ll catch you later.” Aveline walks toward the front door but stops short when she realizes Dev isn’t following. Instead, he’s staring at me.
“Well, aren’t you coming?” he asks me.
“Uh, what?” Aveline’s voice rings out. “She is so not coming with us!”
“Of course she is.”
“AAARGH”
Aveline yells and points toward Dev. “See this, Tim? See! This is exactly what I was talking about! He’s lost his mind.”
“I resent that statement.” Dev casually leans against the wall, pretending to clean his nails. Aveline takes in a calming breath and closes her eyes, seeming to count in her head.
Girl, I know how you feel.
“Dev,” she says in a forced, pleasant tone, “please explain to me why Molly needs to come with us?”
“Because it would be fun.”
“Fun,” she repeats.
“Yes, fun.”
“So it would be fun, not dangerous and probably illegal, and the stupidest idea anyone has ever had in the entire existence of mankind?”
“Nope. Just fun.” Dev pushes off the wall and strides toward me.
After Aveline listed all those points, maybe it is best if I stay here. Plus, it’s probably safer for both Dev and I if we remain a safe distance from one another. “It’s okay. I don’t mind staying with Tim.”
“Nope. You’re coming with us.” He grips my arm, pulling me awkwardly to my feet. My anger dissipates slightly with his touch and the thought that I might gain some answers by seeing wherever it is they’re going.
Could I be any more desperate for answers? No, no, I couldn’t.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Concern is etched on Tim’s face.
“I think it’s one of the best ideas I’ve ever had.” Dev guides me toward the exit before I can find another reason for staying behind. Aveline shoots him a death stare as he marches past and completely ignores me. “Ladies first.” He opens the front door to a dimly lit hallway.
His comment brings me back to my birthday dinner with Jared, and I grin at the memory. Dev blinks a few times at my pleased expression and then gives me one of his knee-weakening smiles.
Immediately, my face falls. “I wasn’t smiling at you.”
“I see.” He glances around. “So it was for the other man who opened the door for you.”
“As a matter of fact, it was,” I say and breeze past him.
Their apartment is at the end of a long, dark hallway, and I head in the only direction possible—straight. Dev is close behind, and I’m suddenly aware, once again, of my tight pants.
I chance a glance over my shoulder and catch Dev’s eyes as they come up from exactly where I thought they would be. He gives me a wicked smile. “Pig,” I bite out and turn away, not mistaking Dev’s low laughter from hearing my comment. I bristle.
Stopping at the elevator at the end of the hall, Dev presses the Up button.
“Where are we going?”
“To the roof,” he answers as the doors ding open, and we step inside. It’s just as dark in this elevator as it is in the hall. Aveline presses buttons that are filled with Roman numerals on a keypad, and we start to ascend. I’m standing in the corner with Dev a little way in front of me, and I feel so small behind his towering body.
Being this close, I can’t help but check out his muscular arm that’s practically grazing my face with its proximity. Dev casually holds the strap around his chest, flexing his bicep, which I have no doubt he’s doing on purpose. Furtively glancing up, I study his profile. He truly is gorgeous, even if it pains me to admit it. Maybe I don’t hate him so much.
Just then he bumps his arm into my face, snapping me out of my ogling. He chuckles lightly. “Oh, sorry about that,” he says while still facing forward.
Yeah, never mind. I definitely hate him.
— 7 —
THE ELEVATOR DOORS open, and I’m immediately hit with the slight chill of night. We exit onto the roof, which seems like any other roof except for the large platform that sits at the end farthest from us. The platform is constructed of black metal, and a large pole protrudes from the back with a thick wire attached to the top that disappears into the city. On closer inspection, I realize it’s one end of a zipline, like the other thousands I saw crossing the metropolis.
Aveline and Dev walk quickly onto the structure as I stay at the base of the stairs, unsure of what to do.
Dev turns around. “What’s the matter?”
“Uh…” I glance around, uncertain.
He smiles as he descends the stairs and extends his hand. I look at it like he’s offering me a gun—shocked, slightly afraid, and clueless as to what I’m supposed to do with it. He sighs and grabs my hand, leading me up. His skin is cool and slightly rough with calluses.
Once I’m on the platform, I notice a lit bull’s-eye for a landing zone along the base. Aveline is over near a keypad, typing in numbers, which again are displayed as Roman numerals. She hits a blue button and the thick zipline cord retracts into the pole and then shoots out again like venom from a snake’s mouth. It now faces an entirely different direction.
Dropping my hand, Dev reaches over his shoulder as if to grab an invisible arrow. A black baton jumps from his quiver with a suctioning sound, and he snatches it from the air. He shakes it quickly in front of him and two ends snap out from either side, now looking like an archery bow without its string. I blink in astonishment.
Dev holds the object out for me to examine. “This is called an Arcus, but you would probably call it a bow.”
I nod because that’s exactly what I called it. “Where’s the string?”
“The string retracts for when we need it, but the Arcus is also used for getting around.” He points to the zipline as if that explains everything.
It doesn’t.
He smiles sweetly at my confusion. “Can I show you?”
“Uh, I don’t know…” I say, uncomfortable with his sudden genuine display of warmth.
Aveline lets out an exasperated huff. “You guys are ridiculous. Dev, I’ll see you on the other side.”
In one fluid movement, she snaps her baton into the long bow, runs, and leaps to the zipline, raising the bow to straddle the cable. With a firm grip on either handle, she flies away into the city at a sickening speed.
My body sways with nausea… Is that what I have to do?
“It looks worse than it is. You’ll be perfectly safe.”
Why don’t I believe him?
“Really, I think you’ll actually love it,” he coaxes. “It’s a strangely liberating feeling. Flying.” There’s a slight ache in his tone on the last word. His face is completely relaxed, devoid of its usual self-assuredness. He looks so beautiful like this, innocent even.
“You’ll be okay, Molly. Trust me.”
He holds out his hand without moving his eyes from mine.
Trust me…
Hearing those words gives me a ghostly sense of déjà vu.
Do I trust him? Of course not, I just met him… Yet, everything seems so familiar to me. But how could I ever forget meeting someone like him? Forget being in a place like this?
“Okay…” I tentatively take his hand.
His answering smile lifts my heart, and I quickly look away before the small wall I built with this man comes crumbling down. I just have to remind myself that he’s usually an annoying twit. A gorgeous, annoying twit…
“I have a safety cord that harnesses you to me,” he explains as he leads me to the center of the illuminated circle. “So you don’t have to worry about losing your grip.”
He pulls a thin but obviously strong cord from one side of his quiver.
“Come here.”
He turns me so I’m facing forward on the platform and standing directly in front of him. The glittering city expands around us. “I’m going to strap you into me and then show you how you’re supposed to hold the Arcus on the zipline.”
Before I can get an “okay” out, I’m quickly pressed against his warm, hard chest. My mind goes soft as my breathing deepens, feeling my backside fitting to him perfectly. I swallow.
“I don’t think this is a good idea, actually.” I move to step out of this intimate position, but his grip on me tightens.
“Molly, relax.” His breath tickles my exposed neck, and goose bumps expl
ode on my skin.
“I can control the speed by gripping the ends of the Arcus here.” He cages me in by placing his arms in front of me, displaying the bow. “To slow down, I just squeeze the handles, and the Arcus will grip the cable line harder. See?” Dev tightens and relaxes his grip on the ends, which resemble brake levers on a bike. The space in the middle of the bow, where the zipline wire goes, pinches in.
I nod.
“Okay, now hold this while I strap you in.”
I was expecting the bow to be heavy, but it’s surprisingly light, as if it was made from some sort of durable aluminum. It fits in my hands perfectly, and I grip it like I’m used to holding such an instrument.
The material of the handles feels like leather but looks more like rubber. I wonder how they can get rubber to feel like this. I’m about to ask, when Dev’s fingers move into the side of my waistband.
“What are you doing?!” I smack his hands and step away.
“Ow!” He shakes out his fingers and stares at me in shock before rolling his head back in a belly-exploding laugh, the sound deep and warm,
“I’m glad you find taking advantage of me so funny.”
Dev wipes a tear from his eye. “You, Molly, might just be the end of me.”
“Promise?” I mumble.
He shakes his head, still smiling. “I need to get at the loops in your pants—they run around the front of your waistband and are what acts as the harness.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. Trust me, if I wanted to go there, we would have already been there.”
I’ve never rolled my eyes so fast in my life. “Please, you are not my type.”
He moves closer. “But don’t you remember? I’m the man of your dreams.”
Before I can blink, he whips me back against his body, and I suck in air while growing paralyzed as his fingers skillfully find all the loops in my pants. He guides the cord through the harness, grazing the length of my midriff the whole way. Once through the last hoop, he straps the tip into the other side of his quiver. It’s like a seat belt is tied tightly around my waist, pulling me to him. With my eyes wide and, I’m sure, my face beet red, I fit snugly to Dev’s body. His chest rises and falls with each breath, and I can’t tell if it’s his heart or mine that’s beating so fast.
