Synergy (See #3)(31)

“I don’t want to die. I want to help him. Save him. I want to free the shadows. I want to heal the dammed. Fight for the weak -- and that’s extremely difficult if the two of you are always standing in my way.”

“No one’s standing in your way,” he said firmly.

“What do you call it then? Draven not wanting me in The Realm. You with all your secrets. I feel useless. I refuse to feel that way. I am who I am for a reason – both of you need to understand that.”

“We understand. You don’t.”

“Then tell me.”

“Close your eyes.”

“If you kiss me, I’m leaving.”

“If I kiss you – you won’t be able to leave,” he said boldly.

For the first time, I felt fear at his side, and I was regretting that l listened to my mom and tried to find a comfortable place between him and Draven.

When he saw my expression, sadness filled his gaze. “I’m not going to kiss you – promise.”

I let out a deep breath and closed my eyes. When he took my hand I felt the calm his touch always had.

“Remember your dream,” he whispered.

I let images of the screaming people ... the rocks falling from the sky ... the innocents that followed me all of it come to mind. I coughed as the memory of the toxic air came to me.

“What happened before that ash, Charlie?” he asked. “When did your eyes meet mine for the first time?”

I let his words linger in my mind. A gasp escaped my lips. I understood clearly for the first time that this dream was in the past, not in a dark future. Understanding that I found confidence, I began to open my mind, to let lost memories of a past life ignite within it.

The dream moved backwards at lightning speed. The terror left, and happiness was on the faces of the people around me. The air was pure. I could smell the salt from the waters close by ... I could see the stars. They were so clear that there wasn’t a single light that would cause them to vanish. This city was in a past that I’d only read about ... it reminded me of Rome.

I saw myself tiptoeing down a wide stone hallway, listening intently for anyone who may still be awake. My confidence grew as I assured myself that the late hour had given me the solitude I wanted. I stepped into an open room. A large pool was centered within it – it was a bathing pool, but it wasn’t one that I was supposed to be in. It was the one for the men. I felt my rebellious soul want to bathe there, even though I knew it was forbidden. I also knew that even though no one would ever know that I dipped into this pool, I’d won. I’d stepped out of the boundaries set before me, something I tended to do often.

I couldn’t see the entire pool; just the center where the moonlight shined. I unclasped my white gown and let it fall to the stone floor. The air was warm, as warm as the hottest summer day, but a night breeze threatened to bring chills to my skin. I stepped forward and slowly descended into the warm water.

A smile came across my face as my heart raced. I knew at this point that if I were caught, there would be no words to explain why I’d boldly disobeyed. I glided forward, deeper into the water. I let my face fall under, then held my breath and swam forward; trying to catch the moonlight I could see waving through the water. I rose for air, flinging my long, dark hair behind me.

The moonlight I’d been chasing had moved forward like it was an illusion that couldn’t be truly captured. I fell below the water once more and chased the gleam. I rose from the water, finding myself just on the edge of the moonlight.

Just as I began to swim forward, I heard, “A light that beautiful can naught be imprisoned.”

Panic swept through me as I tried to place the young man’s voice. I frantically looked from side to side, from corner to corner. Then from the darkest, furthest corner of the pool, I saw an image move toward me.

“Yet, you should know that. I doubt any one man could capture you,” he said innocently.

“Should I scream for my father?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows in the direction of the image, blocking as much of myself as I could with my arms.

“I don’t know who would be in more trouble: me or you. I should be here ... should you?” the strong, young, bold voice asked as it moved closer.

When he reached the point where the light showed his face, I saw Silas. He looked more real than he did today. I could see wounds that had barely healed on his arms. His eyes lacked the glow they had now, and his hair and skin were darker. In this image, I didn’t know him. My heart was racing - my breath was short. I wanted to know him – this breathtaking stranger I’d found in my father’s bath.

“Who are you? This is my house. Do you often stalk women in the dead of night?”

“Do women often bathe in the dead of night in a bath for men?”

“You aren’t from here,” I said as I stepped back with each step he took to reach me.

“No,” he said quietly, halting his approach. “Listen, I’m going to turn around, get my clothes ... maybe you should do the same.”

I nodded nervously and waited for him to turn, then I dove under the water and swam as fast as I could to the stone steps I’d used to get into the pool. With shaky hands, I pulled my gown on and squeezed my hair, trying to get out all of the water. I walked hastily to the stone pillars that led out of the bathroom, not wanting to be seen in there with a man, not wanting anyone to think that I’d lost my innocence with this stranger.