by Summer Lee
Khassima cleared her throat. “Thank you all for attending the wedding of Achava and Samuel Godfrey. I have been given permission by both parties, to perform a ceremony of my own choosing, so there will be parts unknown to most of you. I prefer the direct approach.” She looked around the room, as the few chuckles died out.
She was dressed in a blue dress with white trim. Achava had to talk her into wearing the dress, because she said that she felt silly in anything other than pants or shorts.
Achava felt her smile deep inside. She was so happy. Khassima cleared her throat again and continued. “If there is anyone present who objects to the union between Achava and Samuel, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
That was the part Achava dreaded. She had more enemies than she could count. One or two could have easily sneaked into the wedding and blended into the crowd. Without looking too obvious, she carefully glanced around, so that she could see the entire room. She forced a smile, so as not to agitate the situation. All was well.
She glanced over at Sam, who was doing the same thing. Their eyes locked and each of them grinned.
She gritted her teeth and widened her eyes at Khassima, who was giving the crowd too much time to object.
Khassima nodded nervously. “The bride and groom have decided to recite their own vows.” She nodded to Achava.
The couple turned to face each other. Achava took a deep breath, clasped Sam’s hands, and met his gaze. Sincerely, she said, “Samuel. I cannot even fathom how long ago it was that we first met. I do remember, however, my first words to you.” His eyes sparkled, as they welled up with tears of joy.
“You answered Professor Albert Salinger’s door,” she continued. “You looked shocked to see me. I was not very personable as I stated, ‘staying or leaving?’”
Most of the people in attendance, chuckled.
She couldn’t help but smile as Sam blushed. “From there, we had many adventures. It has been a growing experience. I have learned many things with you, Samuel. One of which is getting in touch with my humanity. I thought I had lost that a long time ago at an early age. You also taught me the value of those with different abilities and the meaning of teamwork. I had lost so many people I had teamed with in the past. I was afraid to get close to anyone. You showed me that it’s okay to be human and make mistakes. You are truly a blessing from God in all aspects. I have fallen deeply in love with you, and can no longer deny my feelings.”
She could not suppress her tears, and her voice broke. She held it in and never lost her smile. “God has my soul, but I dedicate my body to you. I love you with all of my heart.”
There was a loud applause. Sam took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to follow that.” The audience laughed. Sam laughed, nervously. He looked her in the eyes. “That was my biggest problem in the beginning. Keeping up with you. With all of my knowledge and limited life experience, it was a challenge to even be around you at first.”
Achava tried to keep her smile, although her puzzled expression shined through.
His eyes started to tear up, as he continued, “I felt like a third wheel for much of the first several missions. The funny thing was, there were only two of us in the real picture. In order to be a part of your incredible world, Achava, I had no choice but to step up my game to a level even I didn’t know I was capable of. I was placed in crazy situations that no one could have ever prepared me for. I was confronted with things that only a choice few get to experience. All the while, there was one constant. You.”
There was a hush, as people watched. As Achava let more tears flow, her golden eyes glistened brighter with each tear.
Sam looked lovingly into her eyes, completely entranced. “Uh...” he continued, “... sorry, but I still can’t believe how beautiful you are. Where was I? I couldn’t believe that someone as special as you, would be interested in me. It started out as a crush, I guess. I was enthralled not only by your beauty, but your strength and abilities. Your intelligence is amazing, as well. After a while, I realized that I had more than a crush. I was in love. You pushed me past the boundaries I had for myself. In that way, you made me stronger. I have seen more things than I could not have imagined. Hardly anyone has had such an opportunity. You’ve enlightened me to things that I never knew existed. There were other things that I knew existed, but chose to put them on the back burner. Until you. You brought out in me someone I can be proud to be. Someone who no longer runs from things I can’t explain. You made me realize that not everything needs an immediate explanation.”
Sam stopped to clear his throat, blinking back the tears. “You made me a better man for knowing you, and a stronger one for loving you. You’re a hard act to follow, but that’s exactly what I will do, for as long as I may live. I will follow you to the ends of the earth. Past, present, and future.”
Khassima sniffed back the tears, as Sam nodded to her that he was finished. “Wow,” she said. “I’ve been around for a while and that was... wow.” She sighed. “Do you Achava, take Samuel Godfrey, to be your wedded husband, for better or worse. Richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. Till death do you part?”
Achava had a slight hesitation that Sam appeared to notice. “I do.”
Khassima turned to Sam. “Do you Samuel Godfrey, take Achava, for better or worse. Richer or poorer. In sickness and in health, to be your beloved wife. Till death do you part?”
Sam tried not to have a puzzled look over Achava’s hesitation. He smiled. “I do.”
Khassima breathed a sigh of relief. “Then by the power invested in me by our Heavenly Father, I now pronounce you man and wife. Yes?”
The couple turned toward each other with eyes of love. Achava faced Sam and placed her arms around his neck. He reached for her. Pulling her close, they embraced. She lifted her face to his. He took her mouth in his and they shared the most passionate kiss either of them had ever shared since meeting each other.
Those in attendance stood and applauded. Khassima just stood there, shaking her head in amazement.
Holding hands, Achava and Sam turned and faced the crowd. Everyone cheered. Suddenly, they quieted, staring at Achava. Something had happened. Sam turned toward his new bride and his eyes widened in shock. The groom’s happy expressions faded with a puzzled look. Several of the attendees gasped and pointed at Achava. They appeared to be surprised. Especially those from her side of the room.
“What?” she asked in embarrassment. “What did I do? What’s wrong?”
Sam’s mother came up to Achava carrying a pocket mirror. She had more of a concerned look, as she handed the mirror to her new daughter-in-law. She didn’t seem to find any words to say. No congratulations. No words of happiness. No words at all.
Achava looked around the room and then apprehensively raised the mirror to her face. When she saw her reflection, she was the only one who wasn’t shocked. She had no emotion, other than a weak smile. The gold in her eyes was gone.
She knew it was coming. She had no idea that it would be so quickly after the marriage, but she was ready. Getting married to a human had taken some of her supernatural strength from her. She wasn’t sure what came with it. What kind of changes there would be, other than the obvious, but she knew she made the right decision to get married. She couldn’t have told Sam ahead of time, or he might not have married her.
He would probably have done what he thought was noble. It wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t see it as an act of selfishness. She saw it as an act of love.
Love for her husband.
Some things were worth the sacrifice.
She turned and embraced Sam. “It’s okay my love. Nothing has changed.”
“Nothing’s changed?” he returned with more confusion in his tone than he expected. “Look at you! Is this because of me?”
Achava shook her head. “No. It is because of me. This is not a step backward, but a step forward. I’ve grown into who I am supposed to be at this time in my life.”
“You sure?”
“Please, Sam. Let’s not ruin this moment.”
“Okay.” He reluctantly nodded. “You’re right. We can discuss this later.”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” she replied, feeling more comfortable. “This is what it is.”
Sam took in a deep breath and walked down the aisle, arm in arm with his new bride. They both smiled and nodded to their guests.
When the couple stepped outside, they turned and waved. Anthea, standing just outside the door, threw rice on them, laughing heartily. Achava felt the rice raining down on her like dewdrops, welcoming her to a new adventure. They weren’t just saying goodbye to their guests, they were saying goodbye to more—much more.
The sun was powerful. As Achava and Sam walked into the sunlight, she squinted. Sam studied her face, as she kept her smile. “Your eyes,” he said.
“What do they look like?”
“Chocolate dessert.” The sun was strong against her dark eyes. They had returned to their original color, a chocolate brown.
“It’s okay. That is how they should look.”
Chapter the Second
SAM STAYED QUIET about Achava’s eyes, even after they returned to their home in Dallas. Anthea was with them to assist Achava. She had to Soul Merge them back, because Achava was becoming more human by the hour. Achava could not Soul Merge anymore.
After they changed their clothes, Sam walked out into the hallway. Anthea stood leaning against the wall separating the kitchen from the living room, with her arms folded in front of her. She looked intensely at Sam.
Sam stopped and stared. “What about you?” He kept glaring at her, waiting for an answer.
“I’m not pleased to be spending your honeymoon with you either, Sam,” she said, breaking the silence. “Achava may need to travel somewhere quickly and I’m your only ride.”
“Can you at least give us a minute or two alone?” Sam said in a huff.
Anthea shrugged and went outside, shutting the door firmly behind her.
Sam returned to the master bedroom, where Achava waited for him. “Can we talk about the issue now?” he asked, showing his concern.
“Of course,” Achava responded, a shirt around her naked body. “I am eager to get it out into the open as well.” She heaved a big sigh and stepped into a pair of jeans. “I suppose I should start by telling you how I feel. Let me begin by apologizing for not telling you what I already knew would happen. I knew that if I did tell you, you would feel bad about marrying me.”
“Achava!” he exclaimed, with more hurt than anger. “How can you say that? I know I can be unreasonable sometimes, but I think I would have been somewhat understanding. You should try to give me the benefit of the doubt.”
She tilted her head, trying to smile. “I knew that when we got married, I would lose some of who I was. Some of the parts of the whole have changed forever.”
Sam stood in shock. “Okay, I’ll give you that one. You’re right. I wouldn’t want you to sacrifice anything for me.”
“Sacrifice may not be the right word,” she said, apprehensively. “I’ve changed, yes, but I don’t believe it is for the worse.”
Sam sighed. “What kind of changes, other than your eyes and the Soul Merging?”
She started to show excitement. “I will age appropriately now and we can... have children.” Her eyes widened in anticipation of a positive response from her new husband.
His puzzled look, didn’t surprise her. “You mean... you couldn’t have children before?”
“I wasn’t completely sure,” she answered, walking out of the bedroom. “I know for sure now. We’ll really be able to grow old together now. I had a slower aging process before. I guess you could say that I’m now caught up to the human race.”
Sam followed her into the kitchen. He went to the refrigerator to get them both a bottle of water. He handed one to her and then sat at the kitchen table. “What about your... our missions? How are you supposed to battle evil with no abilities?”
“I still have abilities, Sam,” she said. “I’m just different now. Don’t ask me how different, because I’m not sure how much yet. Time will tell.”
He placed his hand on her shoulder. “This was what you wanted then?”
She nodded. “Very much so. I prayed hard about it and God appears to be okay with it too.” She looked up and winked.
“Does that mean that Anthea’s going to be around forever?” he asked.
“No,” she responded, with some doubt in her voice. “Well, I’m not sure. If trouble pops up, it’s nice to have her around.”
“Not on our honeymoon,” he replied. “Alright. I guess this is just something else I have to... wait! Did you say children?” His eyes lit up. “If we’re going to have children, then I have to be more prepared. I need to take more supplies on our next mission.”
Sam ran into the bedroom and got his hiking backpack out. It was at least twice the size of his favorite backpack. He then proceeded to put everything from the old pack into the new one. With great enthusiasm, he then went to every part of the house and threw in anything he could think of that they might need on a mission.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting prepared for the future. I may not have time when the baby gets here.”
She shook her head and laughed.
He put in strong rope of different sizes, along with two pairs of work gloves. Sam looked around to fill up the backpack. He put in the ancient sling.
He was so serious that Achava tried not to laugh anymore. “Won’t that be incredibly heavy?”
“Maybe,” he responded. “But we can’t take too many precautions.” He put his jacket on and placed the final item, a strip of leather, in the bag. It was quite a chore to zip it up, but he did. He then managed to lift it up and put it on. “It is heavy for sure.”
Achava laughed again.
All of a sudden, there was a crashing sound coming from the living room.
They both ran as fast as they could to see what the noise was, with Achava in front of Sam, like always.
Anthea was lying on the floor in front of the front doorway. The front door was in burning pieces all over the inside of the house. She managed to get to her feet, just as Artemis Kieleg walked in.
He had a red glow around his entire body and his pupils were solid white. He had an evil grin, as he walked over Anthea toward Achava.
She immediately did a roundhouse kick to his head, which caught him off balance. She followed up with two punches to his gut. That doubled him over.
He felt Anthea’s arm clasp around him. Instantly Achava was pulled into his face. They all disappeared.
***
Sam was completely disoriented, as he appeared by himself on top of a very high and extremely cold mountain. You’ve got to be kidding me! Good thing I brought the jacket!
He was on a small plateau of sorts, with nothing but a large piece of rock and a lot of air between him and the ground. There were several large natural rock formations that protruded up and out from the plateau. It was nighttime, so that made it even colder. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his winter gloves. Not this time!
Walking about the stones, he looked around, trying to think what to do next. He saw something behind a large boulder that looked like ancient leather. Picking it up, he saw it was still sturdy. It was a strip of leather, about the length of his arm. It was like the one in his pack, but a little shorter. Pieces were missing. He removed the leather from his bag. The one he found fit on the sling in his pouch. He tied the longer strip to his shorter and wider strip of leather from home. The sling was complete.
He picked it up and wrapped the longer strip around his hand and held the other with his forefinger and thumb. He placed a stone in the wider strip. Just for fun, he swung it around over his head several times. Releasing the strip between his thumb and forefinger, the stone sailed away at a tremendous speed.
“Wow,” he said as he opened his bag and re
moved a cloth. “This is a sling shot.” He wrapped it and placed it carefully inside.
Looking about, he wondered where he was. He grimaced at the fact that once again, he found himself in the cold and on a mountain. He smiled briefly, when he realized that this time he was prepared.
Looking around, he realized that he was truly alone. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes.
Achava? If you can hear me, I have no idea where I am. I hope you and Anthea can handle Kieleg. Please find me soon. It’s cold and I miss you. I’m sorry that our honeymoon wasn’t more romantic. I love you.
Sam knew that if he waited around to be rescued, he could freeze to death or fall off the mountain. He gently and slowly relieved himself of the burden of the extremely heavy backpack. Unzipping it, he looked for the last things he packed. The longest rope he had.
As he tied the rope around one of the sturdiest looking rock formations, he wondered if Anthea dropped him off there on purpose. Maybe she couldn’t do what she needed to do, while Soul Merging with both him and Achava. He wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but she did have a history of betrayal.
He shook his head, hoping that any negative thoughts would be thrown out. He then looked up and smiled. “Here we are again, God. Me, asking you for help is getting to be a habit. Hope you don’t mind. I would appreciate a couple of things. Please protect Achava... and Anthea. Please don’t let me die. Also, don’t let me fall and still be alive in a pile of unmoving parts.” He shuttered at his last statement.
“Sorry about that one,” he said, with disgust at himself. “I guess since I’ve faced death as many times as I have, I tend to become fixated on my mortality. Although, anything you can do will be greatly appreciated.”
He removed his belt and threaded the rope through the buckle. He was going to use his belt buckle like a carabiner. His father used to climb and used the metal loop with the spring-loaded gate for small climbs as well as big ones.