Again without any regard to the people around him or the trouble he could cause, he phased into the shadows and was gone. Angry or not, my heart ached as he disappeared.
"Sunny?"
"Yeah, Lucas," I said as I stared at the place that Leif had vanished. I was suddenly so tired.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. I'll live."
"Um…do you know that you have a slight glow of white around you?"
No. I didn't know that. I closed my eyes and sighed. "Great."
Chapter Four
"Oh, you look so wonderful," my mom said as she clicked picture after picture of me as I walked down the stairs in all my yellow finery.
After the lunch debacle, Lucas and I had quickly found shoes. His were plain black dress shoes for guys, which he was not all that thrilled with. Not really his type I guess. Me, I found a fabulous pair of silver sandal stilettos with fake diamond-jeweled straps. Seriously, they were awesome.
Lucas was even patient in the accessory store while I hemmed and hawed over jewelry and such. I finally settled on a silver choker necklace with a teardrop pendant and matching dangling teardrop earrings. The best find though, in the accessory department, was a pair of silver hair combs, which I used to hold the fat curls I had meticulously crafted back from my face.
Lucas stood at the bottom of the steps, a smile a mile wide on his face. "She's right. You do look wonderful," he said. "I know I saw the dress earlier, but you are still breath taking in it."
He was slick. I'll give him that. I felt a blush cover my skin, but it was a nice feeling and not an embarrassed one. "Thanks. You look pretty good yourself."
He did too. The jacket was a bit snug around his chest, but it only served to define how wide and muscled he was. The pants, same thing, a bit tight along his thighs where he was more muscular, but a nice showy fit from my point of view.
"Your dad helped me with the tie."
Lucas had decided he wasn't in too much of a hurry to take the ride back to Acadia just to get dressed, so I had brought him back to my house. My parents had been surprisingly great about it. I didn't know what was up with that, but I was thankful all the same. I threw a smile at my dad. "Thanks, Dad."
"Anytime," my dad said, as he tossed a wink my way.
"Okay, get together you two," my mom said. "I want a few more photos, this time of you together."
"I scrunched up my face at Lucas and said, "Sorry about this. My mom's a photo freak."
"It's fine," he said. Then he leaned in to whisper in my ear, "Although I'm not sure what a photo is, I have an idea."
I whispered back, my mom clicking away at her camera the whole time, "I'll show you next week."
We then were attacked by my mom in earnest, being posed in so many different ways I was beginning to wonder if she thought I was Gumby. Lucas thankfully didn't complain at all and in fact seemed to be enjoying it.
Having had enough, I said, "Okay, Mom. We're good. We need to get moving, if we are going to be on time."
"Oh, right," she said, checking the clock. "Well, have fun. Be safe."
"We will," I said.
"Yes, Ma'am," Lucas said.
Finally, after we escaped from the house, I turned to Lucas and said, "Shoo. I didn't think we were ever going to get out of there. I'm still seeing little clouds from all the camera flashes."
He shrugged and said, "Eh, it was kinda nice to be fawned over a bit, don't you think?"
I remembered that Lucas didn't have a mother and his father was the warrior-soldier type. I guessed he didn't get much mothering anymore. "Yeah, but sometimes it can still be a bit much," I replied.
I wrapped my arm through his and said, "Well, Price Charming, are you ready for the dance?"
With a cocky half smile, he said, "I am if you are. Let's go see what damage we can cause at this thing."
A laugh popped out of my mouth. "Let's try not to have much damage. I've had enough of that for the day, thank you very much."
As prom was being held at the school, we walked the short distance there. We would come back to grab the car for the after party as that was a bit further away.
He glanced out of the corner of his eyes at me and said, "Speaking of damage, how's the head?"
As I had unintentionally pulled in enough energy to cause a slight glow in the mall, it was a bit more of a problem to get rid of than it would have been if it had just been a small amount.
I'd had to push it out into the ground through my feet, so that no one would see. I didn't want to cause a panic after all. I mean, how often did people on Earth see someone push out a stream of white light power? Not often. So, getting the energy out had taken its toll. It was a rough moment there. I tried really hard to control it and let it out in small bursts, but it still took a toll.
The nosebleed that followed and the blood tears were the least of my worries. The headache that came after the release of that much energy was the killer.
"It's good," I said. "The shower did wonders. The aspirin took care of the rest."
"Sure is a lot of power," he said.
"You have no idea," I said. I knew he was talking about my 'gift'.
"I mean, I knew about the energy," he continued. "I just hadn't realized how powerful it was. I felt it in the forest when you used it, but I didn't really see it. I didn't really get it."
"Hmm," I said. My gift of energy was a sore spot with me. I didn't really like to talk about it.
"Seems like a hard gift to have."
I shrugged and told him the truth. "It's not a gift, Lucas. It's a curse."
He was quiet for a moment and then said, "It doesn't have to be."
I shook my head and said, "Until I can control it, it is."
"Then learn to control it," he said. As if it was that easy. Just control it.
I laughed a mirthless laugh and said, "Yeah, right."
He dropped it, thankfully, but I don't know if it was because he understood or if it was because we had arrived at the school.
A huge crowd was at the doorway waiting to get in. The hold up? Once you presented your tickets, you were instantly forced into a quick clench hold photo.
"Great, now I'm seeing clouds again," I said.
Lucas laughed and said, "Yeah, me too."
We looked around the gymnasium. The place looked great. It was dim and dreamy and sparkly. It wasn't just that I had helped in decorating, either. "I'm not certain where our table is."
"What exactly is the deal with prom?" Lucas asked, as he looked around at all the twinkle lights draped everywhere they could possibly be draped and paper flowers stuck everywhere else.
"It's dinner first then dancing, visiting with everyone as we want. Not much else really," I explained.
I found our table with relative ease, especially since Tara was yelling at the top of her lungs from across the room that we were at her table. "Who was in charge of seating?" I asked Tara.
She feigned an innocent look and said, "No idea." Then she laughed and bounced in her seat and said, "Wow, you guys look great." She jumped to her feet and grabbed Lucas' hand and pumped it up and down. "Hi. I'm Tara, Sunny's best friend. She's told me all about you. It's great to meet you. Where you from?"
"Whoa, slow down there, Tara. We have all night," I said, as laughter bubbled up from everyone around the table, including Tara.
She let go of Lucas' hand and said, "Sorry, I get a little excited sometimes."
He graced her with one of his big smiles and said, "No worries. I like excitement sometimes."
Tara bumped her hip against mine and said, "Nice."
I shook my head at her but smiled in response. "I know."
Dinner was served almost immediately thereafter. A plate of chicken cordon bleu, steamed green beans, and potatoes was set in front of each person. That was fancy to us.
Lucas took one look at the sauce-coated chicken and glob of ham on his plate and frowned.
I stifled a laugh but couldn't resist whispering, "T
ry it. It's just like squirrel."
Acadia had giant squirrels. I mean HUGE, like dog sized. I had been fed it. By Lucas of all people, and he had enjoyed every uncomfortable moment. I know he did. So it was his turn to be a little wary of what was being offered.
I cut right into the meat and made a big show of eating. "Mmm, this is sooo good." It wasn't all that great, but it was fun to tease him anyway.
Tara, God love her, didn't stop talking, ever. Chris, her boyfriend since birth, was used to it. He sat quietly next to her and let her lead the table. Which was also fine with me, as soon my mind was off somewhere else completely.
"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.
I thought I had been nodding in the right places and smiling and laughing in the others, but apparently I hadn't been as unnoticed as I had thought.
I shook my head and said, "Nothing."
He nodded in the direction of the dance floor. "You want to dance?"
"I didn't think you knew how to dance," I said.
"It doesn't look too hard. Want to give it a go?"
"Sure." Why not?
He led me to the dance floor and placed his hands gently around my waist. The warmth of his hands spread quickly through the thin material of my gown.
I lifted my arms to encircle his neck, bringing our bodies closer together. I looked up at his face. He was quite a bit taller than me. Even with my heels on, I didn't quite come up to his chin.
We moved to the music together. Yes, he was taller, but we fit well, we moved well together. And God, he smelled good, like soap and forest. I breathed him in and enjoyed the feeling of being held.
I closed my eyes and laid my head against his chest as we continued to sway to the slow music.
"You want to tell me what's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing is wrong," I replied. Nothing was. "I was just thinking is all."
"About what?"
"How glad I was that you didn't turn all male and start a brawl at the mall today when Leif showed up. How glad I was to have you there with me."
"I may not know too much about all these different realms, since this is my first adventure out of Acadia, but I don't think people here would like a fight in the middle of a crowd, any more than they would in Acadia. Also, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of magic here. I didn't want to start a shadow fight here and scare everyone."
'A shadow fight?" Never heard of that before.
"A fight between shadow walkers usually consists of using the shadows to move around and trying to take your opponent by surprise. Popping in and out of sight may have freaked a few people out, don't you think?"
I smiled against his chest. "Yeah, a few."
"That's all? You weren't thinking about anything else?"
"Sorta," I said.
"Okay."
"It's just, I don't understand Leif," I said. I felt Lucas' hands flex against my waist for a moment, but then they relaxed back to the gentle hold of a moment before.
"It's not like that, Lucas. I wonder if any of him was real? It was fun and exciting when I first found out about shadow walkers and the things I could do. Leif was so patient and easy to be around. He didn't push me for anything. He taught me a lot and helped me begin my training. But so much of it was a lie, or a twisting of the truth. When he held me or kissed me, was any of it real?"
Lucas leaned back and looked me in the face. "I don't know this Leif. Only met him twice and both times he didn't seem that great to me. But I can't imagine anyone not loving you."
"You're bias," I said and again laid my head against his chest. "He was different in Acadia, harder and colder. Did Gabriel tell you what happened at the end?"
He hesitated a moment, but then finally answered. "He told us a little about it."
"Did he tell you that Leif would have happily sacrificed me to win that day?"
Again he hesitated. "Yes."
"I would have willingly given my life for those men if it would have saved them. They were there to protect me, to fight for what they believed in. They were willing to die for what they believed in. Leif didn't care about any of that. If my dying would've saved them, I would have gladly done it. In a heartbeat, I would have done it. But that is not how Leif saw it. He would have allowed me to die, all of us to die that day, in order to win. I saw his face. Winning was all he was concerned with. He didn't care who he hurt or who he killed to get there. Winning a war and saving the lives of my people is not one and the same thing."
"No, they aren't," he said.
I looked up into his eyes and asked, "Are you sure they aren't?" I wanted to see his face when he answered.
"I'm sure," he said and looked just as intently right back at me. "I know the difference, Sunny."
I snuggled in against him one last time and said, "Okay then."
Lucas tightened his hold on me and rested his chin on the top of my head. Leif used to do that, but I wasn't thinking of Leif anymore. I was thinking how nice and warm Lucas was, and how much I enjoyed the feeling of him holding me close. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the movement of our bodies and the feeling of being safe, which I hadn't felt in a long time.
~ * ~
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" I asked Lucas. We were standing in the forest at dawn. Prom was over, and the after-prom events were finished. Lucas had been enthralled with the giant movie theater they had put together at the athletic club. We had watched a bit of the movies, played poker for a while, and won several large stuffed animals; one a squirrel, which I just had to have. We were both tired, but it was a good tired.
"No reason for you to take the trip if you don't have to," Lucas said.
"You sure you know how to get home?" I asked, a little nervous for him.
"You said the trick was just to make sure you pictured in your head where you wanted to end up. I know where I want to go and that's home to my bed," he said, a tired smile on his face.
"I had a really good time with you, Lucas."
"Me too."
We stood for a few moments and just stared at each other. I didn't want the night to end, and I didn't want to say goodbye. "I'll see you tomorrow, or later today I guess."
"Sunny?"
I tilted my head. "Yeah?"
"I want to kiss you."
A herd of butterflies suddenly took off inside my stomach. I'd never been asked for a kiss before. It had always just happened. "Okay," I finally said.
Nervous as all Hell, I didn't know what to expect. Yes, I had been kissed before, but when it was with someone new, it's exciting and scary all at the same time.
Lucas placed his hands against the side of my face, so softly I hardly felt them, except for the heat they emanated against my cheeks. I leaned forward with my eyes closed and waited for the first touch, which came so gently and so softly against my lips, I was afraid I'd imagined it. Then again the soft touch brushed over my mouth and suddenly he was there, firm and warm against my lips.
A spark zipped through me at the first real touch and I exhaled, opening to him. He didn't hesitate from there. He took my offering and kissed the life right out of me. My brain shut down and all I could do was feel.
When he finally drew away, I opened my eyes and realized that I had fisted his shirt in both hands and held him in a firm grip against me. I let go and ran a hand over the now horribly wrinkled shirtfront and giggled. "Sorry about that."
He shook his head and said, "I'm not."
Shy all of a sudden, I didn't know where to look or what to say.
"You sure you're okay to get home by yourself?" he asked. "Maybe I should jump to Acadia from your house."
"Go on," I said. "I'll be fine."
"See you tomorrow?"
"Yes," I said. "Definitely."
"Okay, I guess I'm as ready as I'm going get. Bye."
"Bye. Be careful," I said.
I watched the smile on his face as he pulled into the shadows and then disappeared from sight. There was no noise or sound when he phased ba
ck to Acadia, but I knew anyway the moment he was gone. Without his presence, I felt very alone.
I decided to play it safe and pulled into the shadows as well. It was only a short distance to my house, but since Leif had been so threatening earlier that day, I didn't want to suddenly find myself alone with him.
I made it home safe and sound. I dropped the shadows as soon as I entered the house just in case anyone was up and waiting for me. No one was. I tiptoed up to my room, and after quickly undressing I flopped into bed and was instantly asleep. My new soft squirrel tucked up beside me.
~ * ~
"Here, I brought these for you," I said as I handed a photo envelope to Lucas. It was late Sunday afternoon. I had slept most of the day away; I assumed so had Lucas.
He pulled out the handful of photos and began to flip through them slowly. "These are great. How do you make them so fast?"
I shrugged and said, "My mom had them made last night at the drug store. They have one hour photo processing. She made us each a set."
"I can keep these?"
I took for granted all the technology of Earth. I seemed to be confronted with it all the time since my first visit to Acadia and their utter lack of technology. "Yeah. They're for you."
He reached for my hand and said earnestly, "Thank you."
To me they were just photos, easy to get and easy to produce. To Lucas, they were precious.
"You are welcome," I said just as earnestly. Then quickly changed the subject. "Have you seen Jack or Simon?"
He nodded in the direction of the keep and said, "Inside."
I headed in that direction, assuming he would come along. When I didn't hear his footsteps, I turned around to see him again flipping through the photos. "You coming?" I asked.
Without glancing up he said, "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute."
I felt a smile curve my lips. I shook my head and went inside to hunt down my army 'generals'.
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