Just a moment later, his masculine hands envelop me, and I bawl until it hurts to breathe. Logan takes my injured palms, kissing the wounds, and holds my shivering, frail body.
Desperate for him, I grab his face to reassure myself of his presence. Like a woman dying of thirst, I kiss his lips, drinking the essence. The key, like an icicle hanging between my breasts, reminds me of the promise. The words form on my lips as I breathe them out into his mouth. “Until death do us part.”
Dread encases my spine. Why is my love looking at me with sorrow hidden underneath the smile? What are you hiding? I try to figure him out, but fail as my heart beats in time with some sort of desolation etched into my tired muscles.
Beep… Beep… Beep… Whoosh… Beep… Beep… Beep… Whoosh…
The sound distracts from the truth, the deceitful mask my love wears to trick me. The snowflakes affected by the rhythm scatter and dance, as if some sort of presence wields their magical pattern. The sequence is so unnerving and the dreadful feeling continues to churn in my guts. The resonant screeching disturbs my train of thoughts and peaceful ambience.
What on earth is this? Logan’s handsome face twists in alarm, his features looking sharp with worry, raising the hair on my nape. He steps forwards, leaving me behind, looking for the threat.
“Logan?” My heart responds to his alert stance. I move a little bit to the side so I can better see what’s to come.
The silver car appears out of nowhere, swaying and turning, as if it has lost control, and is heading straight for us.
“Run! Run, Night!” I turn around and run through the valley, nearly falling into the frozen lake beneath me, but at the last second, Logan catches my arm. The car plummets to the iced lake, shattering its frozen beauty, awakening nature.
The ice kingdom splinters into minuscule pieces. The trees come alive and start to move, rustling their leaves and exhaling relieved breaths. The grip is slipping. I turn my head to look at him. And then I fall.
An incredibly powerful current shoves me down under. The moment my body submerges in the pond, I feel disorientated, shocked by the cold water. I desperately try to get to the surface, but the force of the current drags me back, vigorously battering my body and keeping me under. With some effort, I’m finally able to force myself to float.
Debris is falling from the sky into the water, like bullets shooting at the hidden beauty, disturbing the unobstructed view. The falling rocks hit me on the head and darkness overcomes my vision. Then light returns.
Bewildered, I watch the necklace floating in front of my eyes, as if it is a weightless artifact. Startled, I realize that it was torn from my neck as I fell. I raise my hands to catch it, but it slips through my fingers. I try again and again, but the crystal key escapes my grip. I float towards it, until I appear next to the fallen car.
I push towards the bottom and grab the key, then take a closer look at the car. The front of the vehicle is majorly dented, but the windows at the back passenger seat are still intact. With the crystal key in my hand, I look through the glass and see them. My heart responds, welcoming her children.
My boys, dressed in white and playing with the blue car, are laughing and carefree. I knock on the window, panicking that they might drown. Excited boys look up at me and wave. They’re happy.
They make faces, trying to make me laugh, and happiness shines in their young eyes. No pain, no fear, just peace and glee. My chest grows tight, missing them as I greedily watch them play at the bottom of the lake.
Tears gather at the corners of my eyes, as the water crystals in space float away towards the surface, allowing my heart to release the weight it carried for so long. All the memories come to me with such bittersweet taste.
I let them all in, lifting the walls and discarding shields that protected my heart for so long. I feel free. I allow the agony and pain to entwine in my heart. Finally, their hearts beat next to mine, nestled safely in my chest. I am whole again. I lift my head to find Sandra next to me.
Defenseless against the inevitable, I begin to feel her substance merging. I struggle, trying to reject it, but the weight of both her life and mine drags me like an anchor to the bottom of the lake. I begin to feel my lungs running out of air as I choke on her pain.
Before I drown in painful spasms, familiar hands grab me, turning me around, and I’m propelled towards the man I love. The world around me disappears as his lips fill me up with his life. We begin to rise from the depths of the water.
Something obstructs our getaway. I look down and see that red and blue threads tied to my leg are fixed somewhere below, preventing our rise.
Sandra appears in our sight. There is a sharp shard in her hands, and she looks at us with regret etched on her face. Why? He nods.
Grabbing the blue thread that holds my leg, she presses the icy shard against it, and cuts it until it breaks free. She looks at me with an apologetic look, and then cuts the red one as well.
Snap! Ache. Hollowness. The agony’s pulsating through me in waves. I can’t distinguish my feelings that are too familiar to me fast enough, but Logan gives me no time to comprehend the signs. I am pulled towards the surface, and watch as Sandra’s ghost stays with Ethan and Nate. She waves goodbye to me.
Finally, we gulp for air. Logan helps me out of the water to the shore, where we shudder and shake in the cold. Looking at me with fear in his eyes, he draws me to his chest.
“Logan, I’m ok,” I try to assure him, as he looks at me with despair, and his eyes fill up with tears. I don’t understand. So, I pull him to me and claim his mouth, telling him without words that everything will be ok. I pour everything into this kiss, waking up his heart to beat again for us.
We sit there for a moment, watching each other, our foreheads pressed together. Even the peaceful nature doesn’t dare intrude on us.
“We must find shelter.” My dirty dress is wet, and drags on the ground behind. “Logan, I think I know this place.”
Appreciating the man I love, I stare at his jaw that now has longer stubble. He is worried. The intense need to be held by him overwhelms me.
Walking beside me, he asks, “Where to?”
The joy filling me is so light and sweet that I take his hand and lead us through the forest to find our new home. We wander for a while, but finally, something leads me to the rock cave.
Pleased, I smile at him as I guide us into the cave.
“You lost this,” he says, holding out the key. The crystal key dangles from the chain, making my heart palpitate. I take it from him, pressing it to my chest with gratitude. I look back at him, noticing he seems worn out.
“What’s wrong?”
He grabs his chest as if in pain. “I am all right, Cassandra. We should look for the way back, instead of staying here.”
A terrible feeling in my chest makes my skin crawl, but I am afraid to ask because I’m too scared to know.
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
Whoosh.
A foreboding sense of an impending end frightens my heart into a panicked throbbing. We are so happy, I want to stay here forever.
“Why?” I ask, confused.
Disappointment reflects on his face, making my heart thrash. I try to read his eyes. What secrets are hidden in their depths?
For some time, I see the tired look on his face, though he pushes himself to appear happy in front of me. Is he falling out of love? Is this it? Our forever has only been a few blissful minutes. I expel the wail I can’t keep in my chest and run out of the cave, afraid to know the truth.
Logan catches up with me, only moments later. He lifts me off my feet, throwing me over his shoulder, and carries me back to the cave. Screaming and screeching, I try to get away from him. I want to get away from my nagging thoughts that are spinning like a storm.
“When did you start to doubt me, Angel? When did you begin to mistrust your heart? Why are we here? Do you remember where we belong? Who we are?”
&
nbsp; Confused and mystified, I look at him, and my heart breaks out in a nervous gallop. My vision blurs, warning me of the anguish awaiting me.
“The cave is a temporary refuge, we don’t belong here.” He rubs at his chest again, as if in pain, and his eyes fill up with a mist shadowing their green depths.
Terrified, I lurch towards him, as if I want to stop the misty fog from consuming his being.
Beep… Beep… Beep… Whoosh… Beep… Beep… Beep… Whoosh…
I hear the resonance filling me, and the hair on my nape stands in a strange trepidation. Something nags my mind about forgotten memories, lost moments evading me. Phantom cords quiver deep inside my soul, as if someone strums them, creating haunting notes, calling someone back home.
The creeping desolation strums my nerves as I tremble with unease cascading through my body. I look up at Logan, seeing something wrong with him. Me. Us.
“We have to leave, don’t we?”
His grey-white skin, and eyes that are hopeful, now brighten.
“Help me. Logan. Show me how.” Anxious, I quickly add, “I want to be with you.”
He pulls me to him, whispering, “Always,” in my ear, clutching me to him as if I might evaporate into thin air.
Logan leads me towards the meadow and spins us as if we are kids. Throwing my head back, I feel my hair fly around me as we both fall into the arms of the wildflowers, laughing. At least his skin regains a much healthier hue as he watches me, hopeful.
“Hi.” He smiles, showing me his dimples after so long, and my heart soars.
“Hi.” My eyes fill with joyful tears, and my lip trembles. I’m filled with a love I want to cloak us with.
We both hold each other and then lie back, watching the skies with the soft clouds, dreaming about our life together.
~Logan~
Promise me, Night. You will become a fighter with a dragon’s heart and a fierce warrior with lion’s courage. Our children will be a gift you’ll appreciate every day for the rest of your life. Find your passion, my love, and be fierce. Make our children believe in fairy tales and a love stronger than death. Tell them the story of us.
~Cassandra~
I will. I promise.
Grabbing on the crystal artifact hanging around my neck, I look at the rings encased there.
“Logan?” I sit up to look at him, touching his beating heart with my spread palm. He looks at me patiently.
“I have forgiven myself for leaving them to die. I’ve forgiven God for taking them away from me. I feel cleansed from the guilt and pain, weightless, with a desire to wake up. Mum and I made up, and Sandra’s settled inside my soul, no longer apart. I am ready to reclaim my life.”
He nods smiling at me and slowly strips me of my clothes and we make love underneath the clouds and sun, savoring a few moments of peace.
I will never let go of him.
~Logan~
You came like a pouring hurricane rain, falling slowly into my hands, our passion melting the ice. I don’t know how we can escape the storm, but you should know that once it’s over, we will find one another again.
Our fragile hearts look for a home, but your incomplete soul struggles to let me in. The winds are twirling the emotional hurricane, our time coming to an end. Falling into my arms is an angel of the night, with her incredible light shining and drawing me in like a butterfly. I don’t know if I ever will survive the tide of love you evoked in my heart.
Spin us, little gale, and drown me in your love until we give in. Don’t let me escape your strong tides.
~Cassandra~
A haunting note floats, tangling in my heart.
Confused, I step towards him, the blood chilling with an intuition of something terrible about to happen. Quickening heartbeats propel me to ask.
Gently, I touch his face, bringing his gaze to meet mine. “Am I dying?” Terrified, I hold my breath, not knowing what it means for us just yet.
The soft expression on his face tells me everything I already knew. “It is all up to you, my dark angel. You are the one holding your fate in your palms.”
I nod as if I understand, but I don’t. I feel so puzzled by this dream.
The wildflowers brush our legs as we walk, looking for the way back. A menacing feeling overtakes me, buried deep in my bones, with aching secrets needing to come out. It’s harder than I thought it would be to find the way back home. I look around, a sense of urgency lingering just underneath my skin.
We walk in silence as a storm brews ugly truths on the horizon. Instead of running away, I clutch his hand tighter, drawing his comforting warmth into my soul. Grateful for his love, I decide to not waste another minute running from it.
Until I met you, I have been sleeping, not living. I walked the earth as though I was made of steel and ice, until you applied the fire and made me anew.
You woke me up to live and drink life with a passion and fury I never knew existed. The smiles turned into laughs and sadness into happiness. You urged me to play and dance. No storm or hurricane scared you. I was healed by your devoted love.
Thank you for saving me from a death the soul cannot survive.
The words come to me without prodding, triggering something that I haven’t yet remembered, they spin around in my mind, rousing something…
We come to a crossroads. At each end, the roads are falling straight into the abyss, without any indication where it would take us. I look at the man I love, silently asking, “What now?” Logan bends to pick up the yellow thread, and I find the green just a few feet further.
I remember my mum’s mysterious message about the threads. “I think they are important.” Pulsing with life, both threads are like a path of breadcrumbs, left for me to follow.
“Let’s rest before the adventure begins, shall we?” We both sit at the center of the crossroads, my head resting on his shoulder as a sense of rightness fills me. I watch his hands twist as he holds something in them. I look harder, seeing a broken band shining between his fingers.
“Is that a ring?”
He stops playing with it, finally fisting in his hand, and then looks at me, deciding whether or not to show me. Uncurling his hand, I find the broken band. The sharp edges, where it was digging into his palm, left bleeding cuts.
“Why is it broken?”
Nonchalantly, he shrugs, looking up at the sky, as if asking the same question.
On the inside is engraved “FOREVER WOVEN INTO YOU” and the little stars connect with the thread until they reach the first word. Logan’s warm lips kiss my forehead as I try to decode the meaning, still mystified. The grass starts to sway, calming our souls. I kneel in front of him, as he does the same.
Pressing our foreheads together, I smile and then nervously let out a small laugh, watching him as I never have before. The bottom of his soul reflects all of his secrets back at me. A surprised gasp wedges in my throat at the profound pulse I feel within me.
“I’ve always believed that you’d find your way back, Angel. Always knew how strong and resilient you are. Never doubt yourself. Never be afraid of the unknown. Take everything life has to offer. Be brave and know that you will never be alone. Take one step at the time and don’t be afraid to fail. Learn to withstand all the storms and hardships, and let people help you. Let my brothers take care of you, and your family, redeem their mistakes. There will be moments when you won’t be able to breathe, or will break into a thousand pieces. Know one thing, my heart. I will be watching and urging you to win every single battle. I will love you until this world ceases to exist.”
“I will. I promise.” Slowly, I trace his features.
He smiles happily and for the first time, as some weight has been lifted, he shines from within, with hope and faith for me. We collide and my hair whips around him, brushing his cheeks and encasing us away in our own little cocoon.
In my soul, I have no pain. Only hope and love.
I wind my legs around him as he spins me around. Throwing my hands in the
air and lifting my head towards the sun, the wind whips around us, and I feel delighted chuckles vibrating in his chest.
When he throws me down the road we picked so suddenly, I have no time to prepare. He stands on the edge and watches me, with happy tears falling down his cheeks, as I fall into the abyss. He looks like an angel.
My body weight pulls me with incredible speed to my chosen fate. I panic, trying to survive the coming pain, but then I close my eyes and bring hope into my heart. I feel the cries of my children calling me from afar.
“They are tired, let’s take them home to rest,” says Raine, as she tries to calm down Leon, who’s crying loudly. Liane’s whining with all her might, trying to stay next to me, fisting the material thrown over my numb legs.
The impact rattles my bones, leaving agony behind, and I become breathless. The heaviness I haven’t felt for a while is uncomfortable, squeezing my chest. My senses try to attune to the crying children, and I hear someone talking from afar.
“How about we all go home to rest and make something to eat?” My mum's voice reaches my ears, and the breaths become trapped in my lungs.
“She is right, we all need to rest. They will call if there are any changes.” Aisha exhales a heavy breath, and then I am left alone.
With every passing second, I drift closer to consciousness and then slowly, I try to take a starved breath with my lungs. I gag, panicking, and my eyes snap open. Something is blocking my airway. Choking, I thrash, trying to breathe, and my eyes water as I will my numb hands to help. The beeping responds to my distress, calling for someone to hear me.
Someone runs into the room and starts talking to me, helping to remove the tube. The process exhausts me, then sharp pain flows through me, and I drift almost instantly into nothingness.
For a while, I rest and relearn to breathe, reacquainting myself with my strange surroundings. Then I snap my eyes open, locking them on the ceiling above.
Entwined IN YOU (In You #2) Page 17