Sweet Burden

by K L Ogden

“A guy?” Kerry raised an eyebrow. “Did you really notice a guy?”

  “Yah. He was sitting waiting for the bus. Did you see him?”

  “Sorry. I was, ya know, driving.”

  “Kerry, you always have a second to notice a hot guy,” Hitomi huffed.

  “You just said a guy, not a hot guy?” Kerry adjusted her rearview mirror trying to get a look. “I don’t see anyone.”

  “Well, we’re too far away now.”

  “Want me to turn around?”

  Desperately Hitomi wanted to say ‘yes’, but she shook her head. “We’ll be late.”

  All day, Hitomi could only think of the boy on the bench and the boy that saved her. The boys were beginning to mold into one. The black hair, the lean body…Could they be the same? If they were the same guy, why was he outside her house? It could simply just be a coincidence. But the way that his gaze followed her in the car, it made her stomach twist and knot. Perhaps it was just her wishful thinking that she had seen her savior in the daylight. She was upset at herself for not getting a better look at him. His face had been tilted down hiding any features and she didn’t see his glowing red eyes, but she felt his stare.

  As school ended, Hitomi decided to walk home in the hopes of the boy possibly getting off at the bus stop. She didn’t divulge anything to Kerry, because that would mean going into the story of her…incident. She wasn’t ready to share that yet. Kerry would turn it into some sort of Lifetime movie when she retold the story. Hitomi wasn’t ready to be the center of some dramatic incident.

  She walked home quickly with anticipation. She rounded the corner by the flower shop to cut through the park, but decided to take the long way around to purposely get a good look at the bus stop. Hitomi paced herself as the bench came into sight. Instantly she recognized his utterly relaxed body. The black haired boy sat there just as he had that morning.

  Hitomi’s eyes widened and she stopped abruptly. Her pulse had quickened and suddenly she wanted to turn around and go through the park.

  “He was the only reason you came this way. You better walk past him and get a good look,” she told herself. She tried to compose herself, wiping her sweaty palms on the hips of her jeans and taking a deep breath. Her feet shuffled forward and she rounded the corner to walk right past him. She kept her eyes down, moving closer to him. She was about six feet away from him when his position instantly shifted. His body went rigid and he sat up. She couldn’t bring herself to look directly at him, instead settling on a sideways glance as she hurriedly walked past him.

  She rushed across the street and into her house. Shutting the door behind her, she leaned back against it and gasped for air. She hadn’t realized she had been holding her breath. Her body shuddered and Hitomi raced up the stairs to her room.

  ****

  Obsidian sat on the bench eagerly awaiting the girl to come home. He knew she had seen him that morning while in the car. A slight bit of recognition had glinted in her eyes and then she hid. It had taken all his effort not to smile as he thought about it. His body was still stiff from the position he had slept in. Luckily the girl had started to stir very early in the morning waking him and he was able to slip out of the house before she awoke. He couldn’t even imagine how she would have reacted to waking and seeing his face inches from hers. He sighed at the thought.

  He needed to know more about this girl. He needed to know why she suddenly had a pull on him. Obsidian found himself wanting to know everything about her. His thoughts were far away from the council and the punishment that would eventually be handed down to him. Right now, he needed answers. He needed to know this girl. Hitomi.

  And just as if he had beckoned her, Hitomi’s scent wafted through the air. Every muscle in his body tensed and he sat up. He turned his head to view the girl that was becoming his undoing. She was quite beautiful. Her long honey hair trailed down her back bouncing with every step. She had her eyes turned down, like she was refusing to look at him. Obsidian’s mouth went dry as his eyes followed her. Then she looked at him. It was only a brief glance, but she had definitely looked at him. That small peek confirmed that she was as interested in him as he was with her.

  Obsidian watched as she rushed to her house and disappeared inside the white building. He quickly took a deep breath as his insides unclenched. He stared at the house wondering what the girl was thinking. Did she feel the connection between them as he did? Was she scared of him? Because he was scared of her. He was frightened of the way she was making him suddenly feel.

  “Who are you, Hitomi?” he whispered into the wind, his gazed locked on the window to her room.

  ****

  Hitomi pointed the lens out the window zooming in as much as possible. The lens focused and she realized that he was looking right at her. She ducked down under the windowsill and shook her head at herself.

  “He’s the one sitting outside my house,” she told herself, quickly perching herself back up and pointing the lens. He was no longer looking in her direction, but instead looking up at the sky. She took the opportunity to snap a few pictures of him. He was tall and sculpted, from what she could tell, but this was the first time she was getting a decent view of his face. His eyebrows were as dark as his hair with a slight arch. His perfectly symmetrical nose led down to a full set of lips. He had cheek bones and a jaw line that actors and models would have killed for and a slight cleft in his chin.

  However, she still could not get a good look at his eyes. She snapped a few more pictures and then suddenly his gaze returned to her. There was a small twinkle of red and then his gaze was gone again. She ducked down under the windowsill again, her mouth gaping open.

  “Red. His eyes were red,” Hitomi muttered to herself. She wasn’t sure she had snapped a photo at that moment. She needed confirmation of what she saw. Scanning through her photos, she stopped at the last one. The red sparkle was emanating from his eyes.

  Hitomi gasped and dropped all the way to the floor. She stared at the photo. The boy had glowing red eyes.

  “It’s HIM!” exploded in her head and repeated over and over. Her hands shook and she laid the camera down. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know if she should go thank him or hide in her room. He was obviously following her. She shook her head. He was protecting her.

  Hitomi squeezed her eyes shut and chewed on her bottom lip. She fought with herself over what to do, and then she pulled herself back up to the window. Her pulse quickened as she opened her eyes. A sudden intake of breath filled her lungs and she desperately fumbled with the window locks. She threw the window open and stuck her head out peering up and down the street. He was gone!

  She pulled her head back inside, but not before knocking the back of it on the window.

  “Ouch,” she rubbed her head, but the pain seemed fleeting as she rapidly pulled her memory card from her camera and shoved it into her laptop. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the desk and waited for the memory card to open. She clicked to open the photos and scrolled down to the last ones.

  There he sat in all his perfection, staring off into the sky and then staring at her. His eyes were even brighter on the computer screen. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. Something inside her quivered.

  Hitomi fell asleep that night on her side still gazing at the beautiful boy that had saved her and made her insides tremble.

  ****

  Obsidian slipped into Hitomi’s room that night through the window. He shook his head, upset that she had left it open for anyone to enter. He glanced at her intertwined in her sheets and blankets. He half hoped that she would open her eyes and scream. She should have been afraid of him. He had never met anyone that didn’t instantly feel fear in his presence. If she were afraid of him, she would stay away from him. But he felt it every time she looked at him; she was drawn to him as he was to her.

  He pulled his eyes away from her dreamy face, flushed skin, plump mouth, and turned to her computer. His finger barely grazed it when the photo popped up
on the screen. Obsidian rubbed his hand over his face and then took the memory card from the machine. He turned back to her saying a silent apology and then damaged the flimsy piece of plastic. He slipped it back in to ensure that it was unreadable. Satisfied with his work, Obsidian moved over to the bed. He sat down on the floor and studied her face.

  He knew the situation was not good. He had killed two ‘innocents’ and had not completed his list. As drawn to Hitomi as he was, he knew he should stay away. Not convinced he could stay away from her, he needed to instill fear of him into her. He sat there pondering while relishing her soft features. Obsidian wanted so badly to touch her. He wanted to run his fingers along her silken hair and smooth jaw.

  He argued with himself all night; between wanting to keep her away from him and wanting to pull her into his arms.

  By the morning, he had decided to try at least one time to make her fearful of him. If it didn’t work, if she still was drawn to him, then he would take things from there.

  The blue sedan pulled into the driveway and honked. Obsidian sat on the bench after leaving her room, relaxed and focused. He watched as the girl got into the car after a quick glance his direction. She had a noticeable scowl on her face. She had obviously discovered her memory card damaged, erasing the photos of him. He watched as the car passed him and Hitomi stealing a look at him. He narrowed his eyes at her and sighed as the car continued down the street. He knew a menacing look was not going to be enough to deter the girl.

  Groaning, he leaned his head back as the stench of death filled his nose. A figure appeared behind Obsidian.

  “Hello Guri,” Obsidian sighed.

  “Hey Obi. What’cha doin’?” Guri hopped over the back of the bench and landed perfectly seated next to him.

  Obi closed his eyes as his nostrils twitched at the smell he was beginning to loathe. He desperately wanted the smell of vanilla bean and honey playing about his tongue. “Sitting,” Obi replied with irritation.

  “Yah. I see that. Why?” Guri inquired.

  “Because there is no need to stand.”

  “That’s not what I mean. Why are you hanging out here?”

  Obi cleared his throat and turned his head to Guri. He was an unkempt mess. His silver hair protruded from his head in every direction and he noticed a few buttons missing from his shirt. “Guri, why are you here?”

  “Who was the girl?” Guri asked, completely ignoring Obsidian’s question.

  “No one,” he shook his head.

  “Didn’t look like no one. And why was she looking back at you?”

  “She can see me,” Obi groaned.

  A simple ‘o’ formed on Guri’s lips and Obi turned away from him. That wasn’t exactly the response that he had expected. They sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity until Obi leaned back against the bench. “What do you think they will do to me?” he whispered.

  “Nothing good,” Guri shrugged. “I actually came down here because I need to talk to you about something.” Obi did not say anything so Guri continued. “There is something going on. There have been whispers and rumors that the God of Light has returned and possible dissension among the council and judges. Now is not the best time to be going against them Obi.”

  “I’m not going against them,” Obsidian protested, then rolled his eyes at himself. “Who am I kidding?”

  “Who is that girl?”

  “I don’t know. Shouldn’t you know something about her? You’re the one who marked her.”

  “I just do what I’m told,” Guri shrugged. “Unlike some of us.” He gave Obi a nudge. “So, what’s the deal?”

  Obsidian tried to pick words wisely. He wasn’t sure how much he could trust Guri, even though he had been one of the few to actually accept Obsidian. He wasn’t even sure he could explain it for Guri to understand. Hell, he hardly understood it himself. Obi shrugged figuring he was already in a heap of trouble.

  He started at the beginning. He told Guri about the first time he saw Hitomi. He told how he had touched her and that was when Guri had found him in his cavern shaking with pain. He whispered the story of her being attacked and how he saved her and held her hand. From that day he had not left her; following her to school, sleeping next to her at night, and watching her from a distance. Obi started trying to explain the connection he felt with her and how he felt he couldn’t stay away from her and being around her just simply wasn’t enough. At the end of everything Obi turned to Guri.

  “You must think I’m crazy.”

  Guri had an odd smirk on his face. “Not really. Maybe there is a reason this girl ended up on your list.” The way that Guri said it made Obi think that possibly Guri knew more than he was saying. He narrowed his eyes at him and Guri turned his face to the sky. “It’s a nice day.”

  “Don’t seriously try to change the subject to weather,” Obsidian warned.

  “Just making an observation. I’ve never understood the aversion to the sun. It seems pretty nice to me.”

  “Guri.”

  “So, when are you coming back?”

  Obi shrugged. “I don’t know. Have they found out yet?”

  “No. But they will soon.” Guri closed his eyes and stretched out as if he was trying to get a tan. “What do you plan on doing? Are you prepared for punishment or are you going to complete the list?” Guri opened one eye peering at Obi.

  “I don’t know.” Obi shifted his entire body towards Guri. “But will you do something for me?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Will you keep her safe…if I’m not capable?”

  “So, you’re opting for punishment?” Guri closed his eye.

  Obsidian’s lips mashed together and a slight, “Um hm” came from his throat.

  “I’ll do what I can Obi. But you know I can’t promise anything. We can’t know if they will send someone else or not.”

  Obi nodded and turned back forward. The entire conversation had just confused him even more as to what he should do considering her. She needed to stay away from him, but would he be able to stay far enough away from her.

  “When was the last time you showered?” Guri asked.

  “Like you’re one to talk,” Obi crossed his arms and jabbed Guri with his elbow.

  “Well, maybe I just won’t give you the bag I brought you,” he teased. Obi just let out an irritated huff and then jabbed him again.

  ****

  The boy had given her the dirtiest look that morning, like he was disgusted with her ogling. Hitomi hadn’t been very stealth with her curiosity. And how could Kerry have completely missed him again? The first thing she tried to do this morning was look at the photos of him again, but somehow her memory card was badly damaged. Any kind of proof of his existence had been erased. Then she got the silly idea that he had done something to it with his eyes. She laughed at herself, but she was upset nonetheless.

  She was getting tired of stealing looks at him or secretly taking his picture. She had decided that today was the day she was going to confront him. All she simply wanted to know was his name and she wanted to thank him again. If she got past that, maybe she would continue with other inquiries.

  Hitomi was confused though about the nasty look she received this morning. Maybe he was angry his picture had been taken. Or maybe he tired of her drooling about him. He even infiltrated her dreams. Perhaps he wouldn’t even be on the bench when she arrived home. She instantly frowned at the thought as she walked out of the school building.

  “Hey! Hitomi!” someone shouted behind her.

  She spun around as Bradley Whitmire jogged towards her. “Hi Bradley,” she forced a grin. Not that Bradley was a bad guy, but he was the quintessential high school jock. He also happened to be one of Shane’s best friends. Kerry had been gushing about Bradley since last Friday, practically planning a double wedding and family vacations with the four of them.

  “Need a ride?” he asked.

  “No thanks. I’ve been enjoying this bit of rare weather we�
�ve been having the past few days.”

  “Oh, yah. No rain. I think it’s the first time the soccer field has been dry in months,” Bradley nodded, his light brown curls bounced around his head. Hitomi stood there waiting for him to say something else as he rocked back and forth between heel and toe.

  “So…” Hitomi started.

  “So, the October formal is next weekend. Are you going?”

  “I guess,” she shrugged. “I was just going to tagalong with Shane and Kerry.”

  “Oh, because I was…”

  Hitomi’s phone vibrated in her pocket and she quickly flipped it open. “Hello?...Hello?” There was no answer and she pulled up the number that had called. Unknown. She sighed and closed her phone glancing at the time. It was starting to get to the time that she normally arrived home. “Um, sorry Bradley. I have to go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”