by C. S Luis
He leaned forward slowly, his face entering the moonlight streaming through the window. His coal-black mane glimmered against his ghostly pale skin, lighting up the line of his nose and his cheekbones. Those strange, beautiful violet eyes sparkled at me.
“Yes,” he replied, then grinned. “I must apologize.”
I sat up in my bed, unable to say a word. Seeing him again made me think of my grandfather, but through that mourning I realized how happy I was to see my protector here now. It meant he was real, and I wasn't crazy.
“For what?” I asked with trembling lips.
“For not coming sooner when you needed me.” He leaped off the ledge and slowly stepped into the room. His black jumpsuit looked like some kind of uniform, the various pieces of it shimmering like scales in the moonlight. A patch of purple covered his right shoulder, but that was the only color.
“I don't understand,” I said, then slipped out from beneath the covers and scooted toward the foot of the bed. “Whatever it was… whatever was trying to get me that day… you stopped it.”
That man with the red tie flashed again in my memory—the way he'd looked at himself in the mirror and changed from behind his own eyes. It unnerved me just as much to think of it now.
My rescuer bowed his head and dropped to his knees at the foot of the bed. Then he slowly gazed up at me.
I could feel his sadness; his large purple eyes overwhelmed me. I knew he was genuinely sorry for what had happened, though I really had no idea what had happened. Only that I'd been protected.
I felt him now as clearly as I'd felt John. But it was so much different with this guardian of mine kneeling in front of me. He knew why he was here and what he wanted. I blushed when I realized that was me. His connection was so much fiercer, and I couldn't even try to question the things I felt radiating from him. He wanted me back.
'I need you, Pet-tricia,' he thought directly to me. That definitely wasn't my name, but he didn't give me time to ask. 'You have to remember,' he added. 'You have to remember who you truly are…'
His eyes pulled at me, assuring me he wasn't a stranger at all and I could trust him. I wanted to resist, but his tug on my memories convinced me even more that I'd known him once, a long time ago. I had no idea how to find that truth inside myself. I shook my head, trying to clear my mind.
“No,” he said aloud and dropped his head again between hunched shoulders. “I failed you, and for, that I apologize.”
I extended my hand, hoping to feel his face. When he glanced up at me—broken, sad, and so beautifully mysterious—I paused. I longed to know the man behind those eyes. The memory he claimed I'd lost.
“You saved me,” I whispered, realizing I was shaking now. He rose immediately, pulled away, and went to the window again. The moonlight glowed on his face. “What was that thing?” I asked, though I had no doubt I already knew the answer—that I knew the true name of the shadow in the black suit and red tie.
'Death…' the wind whispered. Suddenly, it didn't feel like we were alone; it felt like Death itself now lurked just outside my window, teasing us both.
My protector looked around as the voice in the wind faded. Then he approached the bed again. I trembled. His eyes danced over me. “Don't be afraid. He can't hurt you as long as I'm here. I've made a bargain with him. Unfortunately, as an agent of death, he knows the role quite well. The energies… draw him to you.” He paused, as if his own thought had distracted him.
“Who are you?” I whispered, intoxicated by his presence in a way I could never understand. Before I realized it, I rose from the bed and stepped toward him, staring into his deep, hypnotic eyes. My face grew warm. His beautiful purple eyes sparkled like clusters of light, all dancing at once. I couldn't move any closer, and all I could think of was being with him. Then, almost immediately, I knew everything he knew.
He pulled away from me once more before leaping onto the window ledge. Whatever spell had captured us, it had now just lifted. If I could remember what I'd meant to say, I'd be able to speak freely now.
'Quentin,' his voice repeated in my head.
“What's happening?” My voice shook now as much as my body. “How is this possible?” That was really what I'd wanted to ask, but deep inside, it felt like I already knew. So why was I resisting the obvious?
“Anything is possible,” Quentin replied with a smile. “Come. I want to show you something.” He beckoned me with an outstretched hand.
I hesitated, looking back at my room and wondering if Michael had heard anything.
“Don't be afraid,” he said with raised eyebrows.
“I'm not afraid of anything,” I stated.
“Then take my hand.” His reaching fingers looked exactly the same as the day he'd offered them beside the pool. But this time, the choice was entirely mine. “Trust me,” he added with a tender smile. “Take my hand. I want to show you something wonderful.”
Still hesitating just a little, I made the decision and took his hand.
He whisked me toward him until our bodies were achingly close and frowned. “Don't you trust me, my pet?” he whispered.
That made me pull away to gaze at him. “Yes.” Even that surprised me. Quentin had saved me, I knew. So how couldn't I trust him now? If he'd wanted to hurt me, he could have left me for the shadow to consume beside the pool.
But before the word could leave my lips, I exhaled, closing my eyes. Then my stomach lurched, and a tiny scream almost escaped me. When I opened my eyes, we were in the sky. The drop had left me breathless, and my heart pounded with alarming speed. I couldn't control the sensation overwhelming my entire being. The air blew through my hair as Quentin held me close against him; his eyes glittered at me as he said, “Hold on.”
His grip tightened, and we moved faster. Now I couldn't see anything but a bright light, consuming us entirely, and I had to close my eyes. Then, just as quickly as everything else, the rush of our movement disappeared, replaced by incredible peace.
We were standing on a beach, the white sand gathering at my feet. Seagulls filled the blue skies above. Behind us, a vast blue ocean expanded along the horizon as far as the eye could see. I looked up at Quentin, breathing quickly. “Where are we? How did you do that?” I pulled away from him to walk toward the ocean, then I found myself running to the edge of the water and grinning at all the freedom and beauty in front of me.
“This is Demos. My world. Here, I can do anything I want.” Quentin lifted his arms to the sky.
I raced into the water until it was up to my waist, looking far into the ocean and wishing to go farther, to explore the beauty before me. When I turned back toward Quentin, I saw everything else—a vivid jungle and a landscape of mountains in the distance; tall green plants; birds of every color flittering through the branches.
However I'd gotten here, I never wanted to leave.
Something splashed in the water behind me, and I spun around to see a tailfin glistening above the water's surface before it disappeared. Then again, the tail appeared, and when I whirled around to see what it was, I caught sight of a woman's face in the clear ocean water. I nearly fell back, but the woman emerged and caught my arm before I lost my balance. She was beautiful, with flaming-red hair falling over her naked torso, and now I had no doubt that the tail belonged to her. I couldn't stop staring at it.
“You're…you're a….” I felt stupid for my stuttering and immediately put a my hand over my mouth.
“I did not mean to frighten you, miss,” she whispered. “I had to see you for myself.” Then she grinned and called over her shoulder, “It is she!”
Behind her in the distance, a few heads appeared above the blue water to gawk at me.
“To see me?” I whispered.
Something must have startled her; she dove back under the water and disappeared in seconds.
“Wait!” I shouted. The woman reappeared, but now she looked up into the sky. I startled when I saw Quentin hovering just beside me, kneeling on the surface of
the water.
He gently beckoned the woman back toward us with a wave of his hand. “Say hello, Selena,” he whispered to the mermaid, and she lowered her head. Only then did I realize that another had been with the redhaired woman, and this second one emerged to greet me.
She might have been more beautiful than the first, rising from the waters with her long blonde hair draping over her shoulders and chest. She smiled and bowed to Quentin. “Greetings, mighty one,” she said, then turned her intense gaze onto me.
“Say hello, Selena,” Quentin firmly repeated.
“Greetings, miss. It is an honor to finally meet you.” She bowed her head to me, as did her companion, and many others emerged to do the same. I could only stare at them, mesmerized and unable to speak.
The blonde-haired mermaid smiled. “We've heard—”
“So what do you think?” Quentin interrupted with a smirk, though the question was clearly directed at her and not me.
“She is beautiful, mighty one,” Selena replied. But when she glanced at me again, it wasn't hard to see all the hate behind her eyes.
My face felt hot under so much attention from her and all the others gathered around us.
“You found her,” Selena added in a whisper. “Just as you said you would.” She offered a weak smile and looked a little disappointed.
Quentin merely laughed, apparently ignoring the mermaid's growl in response.
“This is unbelievable,” I muttered, feeling like a little kid gaping at presents on Christmas.
“Not in my world,” Quentin said. When I looked up at him, his gaze was so intense, I felt how much he was enjoying my curiosity—and my innocence.
“They're so beautiful,” I whispered. The blonde mermaid named Selena frowned and boldly approached me again.
“You're beautiful,” Quentin said with a smile, reaching down to caress my wet cheek. My lips trembled, and a breeze rushed over my back, whipping the wet strands of my hair into my face until they clung there. He peeled them away.
“The Spider Queen has inquired about your return, mighty one,” Selena said. She spoke sternly now, and it wasn't that hard to imagine she didn't like me.
“I'm not interested in the Spider Queen,” Quentin said. He left his palm against my cheek when he turned to shoot Selena a warning glance.
“She has prepared a great feast in your honor,” Selena argued.
“I said I'm not interested!” Quentin snapped.
The mermaid flickered backward through the water, her eyes wide, and bowed until her face almost touched the waves. “Forgive me, mighty one,” she said again. “I only thought—”
“You thought what? I take a moment of my precious time to allow you this honor. To see my beautiful Pet-tricia. To be the first to see me triumph over my suffering. And you speak of nothing else but her!”
“Forgive me,” Selena whispered. “I only thought she might look upon what you sought for so long. And that you are victorious… where the others have failed.”
Quentin frowned at her, but it quickly shifted into a smile. He rose from where he knelt on the surface of the water and placed his hands on his hips. “What she thinks makes no difference,” he said.
“What of your brother, mighty one?” Selena asked, and she shrank into herself when Quentin looked down on her again with a sharpened scowl.
“He knows. But he doesn't believe…” Quentin stared off across the ocean, then turned to look down at me. “But he soon will.”
I had no idea what they were talking about—no idea who the Spider Queen was or that Quentin even had a brother. I still wasn't entirely sure I'd been speaking to actual mermaids. Only when Quentin offered his hand to pull me from the water did I realize I was shivering. Now, I stood on the surface of the water beside him, wondering how that was even possible.
“Can he be convinced?” Selena asked, apparently having found her courage again. The other half-human creatures around her moved back, away from Quentin as he glared at her over his shoulder. It seemed she was the only one of them who ever questioned him.
His lips pulled back into another grin, and he gazed at me, cupping my cheek again before stroking my wet hair. “My Pet-tricia must awaken from within. Only then will he realize his mistake.” He studied my eyes, pulling me closer against him as I shivered. “But all in due time. First, I must do what I can to make you remember,” he told me.
“Who's Pet-tricia?” I whispered, staring up into those sparkling eyes. He obviously thought that was my name, but it wasn't. I couldn't think clearly enough in this place to imagine why he had me confused with someone else.
“No one,” he softly replied. Then he pulled me closer, wrapped his arms around me, and we shot back into the sky. Below us, a few of the mermaids waved; others, especially Selena, merely disappeared beneath the waves.
We flew over a landscape much different than the ocean and white sand of the beach. The mountain range I'd seen in the distance was now just below us, most of them covered in inches of thick, pure-white snow.
“It's incredible,” I said, gazing in awe at the landscape. When I looked at Quentin, he was smiling again. A group of women on broomsticks joined us in the air. “Are they real?” I asked. The women—all with long, flowing dark hair, dressed in glittering gowns, and dazzling with jewels and gems—giggled and sped away ahead of us. A few of them waved, and I waved back.
Quentin took us through the clouds gathered above the mountain range, and we broke through them over a vast forest. I caught sight of a grand city built within the trees, where people gazed up at us in surprise. Staring, motionless, they almost seemed panicked as we sped past. There was only a glimpse of them before we were gone, flying in and through the forest's tallest trees. Strange animals I'd never seen before leaped from branch to branch beside us. The forest opened for us again before we rose high into the sky.
Then I saw what looked like a door—a haze of brilliant colors opened in the pastel skies. Quentin headed straight for it, and in seconds, I realized we were back in the real world—my world.
Quentin carefully brought me down through the open window of my room. In the darkness, we stood there, still holding onto each other. My room was so quiet, the night as peaceful as it had been when we'd left. Nothing had changed, almost like we hadn't just flown through a completely different world.
Quentin nearly collapsed against me, looking suddenly exhausted. I held him up, unable to pull away. “That was unbelievable,” I whispered. “I mean, I believe it. I was there. But it was just… incredible.” Then I realized he still hadn't moved, and when I looked up, I found him gazing down at me again. His smile widened, and the way his eyes bored into mine made me flush. And then I sensed it—his will once more holding me without touch and without force.
In that moment, I knew I wanted to be with him, no matter what. Whatever he asked of me, I'd probably find impossible to resist.
“I'm glad you liked it,” he said.
“Why did you show me this?” I asked.
“I wanted you to see my home.” Quentin still smiled, but his face looked just a little paler now.
“Why did you come here?” I whispered, hypnotized by his dark eyes.
“To find you.” He leaned closer, and I felt his breath against my face. I thought he would kiss me, but at the same time, he resisted.
I took a deep breath. “Why me?”
“You are incredibly special to me. And more important than you realize.” He brushed his hand against my hair and leaned toward me again. I closed my eyes, longing for his lips to touch mine, but they didn't. When I opened my eyes to look at him again, he was gone.
I rushed to the open bedroom window; the curtain flapped against the window ledge, and I leaned my head out to look for him. All I saw was the yellow moon perched in the endless night sky. My rescuer was gone. Again.
That night, I could barely sleep. When I did, I dreamt of mermaids, witches darting through the brilliant skies, and blue oceans teaming wit
h sea serpents.
Chapter 22:
The Morning After
Michael's voice woke me from the other side of my bedroom door. Then I realized I'd fallen asleep on the bedroom floor beside the open window—or at least I'd gone back there sometime during the night. I sat there for a moment, wondering if I would ever see Quentin again. Somehow, I knew I would. And the desire to see him again—to feel his arms around me and his lips finally pressed to mine—still drove me insane. I had no idea why I felt this way, especially because it wasn't like me to lose control of myself like this.
Disappointed, I rose to get ready for school. I found myself thinking about Joseph at dinner, then John. I'd left him at the table without any explanation, and I didn't have a clue how to explain why I'd run away from him. What could I say? I knew I liked him, but this thing I felt for Quentin was tugging me in a different direction. Just thinking his name made me feel like he was close again, watching me.
At breakfast, Michael watched me as I sat quietly at the kitchen table. He worried too much, like he was my father or a nagging babysitter.
“You okay?” he asked.
I knew I looked as tired as I felt, sitting there poking at my eggs. He poured himself some orange juice it and just kept staring at me.
He was going to ask me about the night before. I could hear him struggling to come up with the best way to say what he wanted to say. “What happened last night?” he finally asked. “John was pretty worried about you. He thought he'd upset you somehow. Was it because he asked to take you to Prom?”
I looked up at him. I'd forgotten all about John asking me to prom. But that wasn't it.
“Did someone else ask you first?” Michael pried.
I wrinkled my nose. “No. It's not that.” I sighed. “Look, I'm sorry about last night. I guess I just a lot more tired than I thought. I didn't mean to just disappear. Nobody said anything that upset me. I just… I don't know.”
