by Rana Demiriz
“What happened? Did you feel something?” he said with panic. My talent was the last thing I got on my mind right now.
“Your dad and my mom… I mean, is he the guy who…?”
“No, Mia. He is not the only one to blame. It is also your mother’s fault… and even mine.”
“What’s your role in all this? And mine?” I asked.
“You already know what happened. Carmen told you everything. We don’t need to go through that again. We could both use some fresh air. Come on; let’s go outside a little bit.”
Maybe it was the house that smothered me. Maybe I needed some fresh hair. He took my silence as ‘yes’, and he jumped to his feet right away. He offered me his hand. I gave him a nasty look and got up without his help. He just made a sullen face. Obviously, he was also feeling down. We stepped outside. “Where do you want to go?” he asked.
At first, I couldn’t think of anywhere, but then it dawned on me… “Come on. I’m taking you somewhere. We can talk over there.”
I hailed a cab, and we both sat in the backseat. “To City Park, please.”
After a ten minute ride with no talking, we finally arrived at a park that included a magical artificial lake. There were swans on the lake. The emerald green trees were drawing the people away from the city, giving them a chance to think. Whenever I wanted to feel, I always found myself back here, whether I was happy or sad.
We got of the cab, and Rio started looking around. “This is quite a beautiful place.”
“I know somewhere even more beautiful,” I said.
It may be the magic of the moment, the relief I felt, or the strange feeling of trust I got for him, but I held his hand for the first time. I felt his warm skin against mine. We locked our hands, and I dragged him to a path across the lake. The path was pretty steep and full of windings. I turned my head and had a glimpse of him smiling. I don’t know why, but it also made me smile. When we reached the end of the path, the view took his breath away. You could see the whole city from here. Even though I saw this view a hundred times before, I was also mesmerized by its beauty. The sun was about to leave this hemisphere, and the street lamps were starting to lit up. It was truly amazing.
“It’s just beyond beautiful,” he said.
“Beautiful just won’t cut it. It’s away from the city yet in harmony with it. This is my safe heaven.”
He shook his head. “You don’t just come here for the view, Mia. You escape here. You seclude yourself from the others. This place has become your shelter. You have to stop running at some point and face your fears.”
I didn’t say anything. Sometimes, the only thing that you need is silence. Even though we just met, our fate was bound together, and that made us feel like we’ve known each other for years. I couldn’t get angry at him. He was right in his way.
We watched the scenery in silence for a while. We were both victims of prophecies, pawns with no clue what their next move might be. Suddenly, I realized that I still didn’t let go of his hand, like we provide support for each other. Rio didn’t speak either. I pulled my hand away from his. He turned to me. He appeared to be awakened from some sort of dream. His glance reminded me why we came here in the first place.
“Are you going to be able to handle the things I’m going to say?” he asked.
I tried to prepare myself for anything I was about to hear. “Probably not, but tell me anyway. We can’t delay the inevitable.”
“As you wish. Years ago, when you and I were just children, your mother, and my father… I mean…”
“I know what they did, Rio. Can we just skip that part, please?” I was getting impatient.
“Okay Mia, but you have to be more patient than that.” he said.
I pressed my lips together. “Okay, okay.” I mumbled.
“The Azurites have certain rules.”
“I know all the rules,” I said. He gave me a surprised look. “Carmen taught us all the rules,” I said to his puzzled face.
He nodded. “Somehow, our parents fell in love with each other, and one of them had to sacrifice everything. And unfortunately, it was—”
“My mother,” I finished his sentence. My eyes were filling up with tears.
“Yes, unfortunately. Technically, my dad didn’t break any rules, so it was your mom who got sentenced to death. But before Zathefs could even act, my mother attacked your house.”
“Yeah. I know all about it.” I couldn’t hide the spite in my voice.
“My mother was a very jealous woman, Mia,” he said gloomily.
“Do you even remember her?” I asked.
“No, I don’t. Before things got out of hand, my mother found out that she was pregnant with me. She went to Brazil, saying that she needed some time to spend alone. She gave birth to me in Rio de Janeiro.” His voice held such a vast sadness. I didn’t know what to do. Was I supposed to hold his hand again? Give him a pat on the back? Or was I supposed to tell him that I was sorry? None of it felt right at that moment. “She left me there with a trusted friend and then returned to confront your mother—”
“To take revenge,” I finished his sentence.
“Yes. She attacked your house and killed your mother before Zathefs could do anything about it.”
“My mom wasn’t the only one she killed that night, Rio. She also killed my aunts.” I said. It was painful for me to talk about this.
“My mother was blinded by jealousy and anger. Luckily, your dad made it out alive. By the way, where is your father?”
Pain filled my eyes. “She murdered him too. They were all killed right before my eyes.”
He seemed surprised. “I thought she only killed your mother and your aunts.”
I couldn’t find the strength to speak. I just shook my head.
“I’m so sorry for your losses. My mother also killed my father after the attack. When he learned what she had done, he tried to leave her and take Alejandro with him.” That was new. “After that Zathefs punished my mother. They executed her,” he said.
It was a total massacre. The perish of two families.
“Yes, I know,” I said sadly.
“Then why are you making me tell you all this?” Rio said.
“I still need to know how you and Alejandro ended up like this.”
“The Zathef Council decided that executing my mother was not punishment enough. Their authority was undermined, and they needed to make an example of our family. So they put a curse on Alejandro and me. They made one of us “The Master of Light” and the other “The Master of Darkness.” In other words, they created two opposing forces in a nonaligned world.”
I tried to keep a blank face. “Continue.”
“I went to France for a while after the Zathef’s found me, and from what I’ve heard, Alejandro was in Spain at that time. Two brothers, two enemies, two sides…”
I sighed. “Well, that must’ve been really hard for you. I mean, Alejandro is still your brother.”
He turned his eyes to the scenery. “At first, I thought all of these were a nightmare, just like you did.”
“How did you manage to handle such a burden?” I asked.
He thought about it for a while before he answered. “I can’t say that I handled it very well.” He paused. “I tried to kill myself.”
I shivered. I couldn’t think of a consoling answer, so instead, I just stood by him. Two damaged souls standing tall against the odds. He seemed like a little boy when he was sad. A boy who had never been loved. A boy who carried the world on his shoulders without the help of his parents.
We enjoyed the view for a while. The lights were all lit now, and the whole city seemed to be awakening from its sleep. I thought about what he said and couldn’t help but ask: “How did you make it out alive?”
He laughed bitterly. “I don’t know the answer, either. Don’t think I can take my own life.”
Without letting me say anything, he continued: “My mother never regretted what she did, and she never
felt any remorse for killing all these people. But when she found out that her two boys were cursed while your mother’s children got to be perfectly safe for the rest of their lives, she was enraged. What she foresaw in the distant future changed the existing prophecy. She changed the future.”
It was time to leave. I had things to face and a family to protect.
CHAPTER 10
When we arrived home, Lana seemed so happy that I couldn’t help but ask what was up. Apparently, Richard was taking her on vacation before the wedding. To Brazil! We exchanged glances with Rio. At least this way, she would be away from all this nonsense.
We went to the living room. After sitting silently for a while, Carmela decided to put the tension that has been going on since we came, into words. It seemed like the interrogation was about to start. He turned to Rio and me.
“Where were you two?” she said and got straight to the point. That was her style. She would never talk around the subject.
“We?” I said, feeling Rio’s presence beside me stronger than ever. I tried to hide my emotions and continued talking. “I was just giving Rio a tour,” I said innocently.
I turned my eyes away. My god, she was going to see through my lie. It was impossible to hide anything from Carmela. She could always tell when I was lying; almost from the way my blood flows under my skin. Sometimes I even thought that this was her special power. She would not only see through my organs, veins, heartbeat; but also deep into my soul. She squinted a bit. She didn’t even need a few seconds to think this over. It was obvious to her.
“It doesn’t look like it,” Aida said, pretending to cough. She wasn’t helping me. Whose side was she on? I stared at her angrily. Carmela gave her a look that basically meant ‘shut up’. At least I could always trust Carmela to be on my side. Aida turned her eyes elsewhere, crushed under the weight of our gaze. The funny part was that Sophia gave me the exact same look as Aida. I knew what they were thinking. I knew the possible scenario they had in their minds. I could guess how things looked from the outside. Not just because I knew my sisters so well, but also because anyone could come to the same conclusion after the way that Rio sits beside me so possessively.
Carmela said, “You have school tomorrow!”
I rolled my eyes. “I will go tomorrow to handle the paperwork, and then I will hand out my final assignment. After that, I don’t plan on going to school until Friday.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“It is our last week, as you know. Besides, Rio only has one week.” Wrong choice of words. The last sentence made the suspicions even stronger.
“Yeah, about that,” said Carmela thoughtfully. “Rio, is there anything we need to know?”
The living room was like a court. Rio cleared his throat. “No, I already told everything to Mia.”
“What is the prophecy about? You two seem closer to each other now.”
I lowered my eyes because I knew I was blushing. Before we had any chance to say a word, Lana and Richard walked in. Lana was still glowing with happiness. She started speaking right away. “Aida, I thought maybe you would want to come with us. You deserve a holiday. Maybe even Carmela could—”
“No, no I have different plans with Aida,” Carmela said, interrupting her. Apparently, she wasn’t going to be home either. I guess this time, luck was on my side.
Lana didn’t seem upset at all. “Okay then… We can go tomorrow. Right, Richard?”
Richard let go of Lana and looked at Rio. His eyes held curiosity and, surprisingly, a hint of anger. Well, he had a point because Rio was undeniably more handsome than Richard. Rio got up like a gentleman and offered his hand. They shook hands.
“You must be Rio,” Richard said. I got up and stood by Rio because Richard’s tone was a bit threatening.
“Yes, I am. And you are-”
“Richard. I’m Lana’s fiancé.”
“I’m happy for you. You look lovely together.”
“Thank you. But I would be happier if I could learn the reason why you’re here.” I laughed at Richard’s words. He saw Rio as a threat. Ugh, men.
I wondered how Rio’s reaction was going to be like, but instead of answering, he wrapped his hands around my waist and smiled at Richard. While I was struggling to get out of his arms, he smiled at me. “What’s wrong, love?” he said.
“Love!?” I asked in shock. I was pissed off. Why was he calling me ‘love’ all of a sudden? He had to be out of his mind!
“Can you give us a few minutes?” Rio asked politely and almost dragged me out of the room. He took me to the kitchen while everyone was watching us curiously.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND?" I screamed at him.
He covered my mouth with his hand. “Shhh, stop yelling.”
When I stopped grunting, he let me go. “No, I’m not crazy. Did you still not get it, Mia? I’m afraid they are not gonna let this go if we don’t give them a logical explanation.” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Your sisters could get hurt if they get involved. You wouldn’t want that, do you?” he said with a matter of fact voice.
“Of course. Even if it costs me my life, I’m not going to let anything happen to them.” I said without hesitation.
He paused for a moment. “You are more selfless than I thought,” he said.
I took a one-step back involuntarily and turned my head. “What can I do to prevent my sisters from getting hurt?”
He suddenly became more serious. “Not ‘I’ Mia, ‘we.’ You and I are going to make a deal.” he said.
I crossed my arms and frowned. “What kind of a deal?” I asked, suspicious.
“We’re going to act like a couple,” he said casually. It took some time for me to process what he said.
“What? Are you crazy?” I said, shocked at his care-free attitude.
“Be quiet, Mia. They’re going to hear us! The less they know about reality, the better it is for them.”
“What? How is this even going to work?” I asked desperately.
“They are going to leave us alone. Lana is already leaving, and we could think of a way to deal with the others somehow. Besides, the allies of the Light are going to get stronger, thanks to you. This is going to make us even more powerful.”
“Thanks to me?” I asked, confused as hell.
“Of course. Thanks to you. I told you I was going to show you what I meant. We can go there after you stop by the school. I’m going to show you why you’re the key to everything.”
“Okay. I can’t wait to get some logical explanation for everything finally. Anyway, let’s go back to our deal. If I’m correct, this deal is going to strengthen the alliances of the Light. But what’s in it for me?” I asked.
“Your sisters will be alive and protected. Besides, the more they interfere, the more dangerous it is for them,” he said.
I didn’t even need to think. “You’re right.”
“You’ll take sides with the Light. You’re going to be the Mistress of Light.” His voice held such certainty that I squinted.
“Whatever our deal requires. And how long is this going to last?” I asked.
“Until the war is won. Then you’re free to do as you please. I’m not going to force you to stay with me. You will be free to leave.” he said with a hint of pain in his voice.
I raised my eyebrow. “When I agree to our little deal, I will be officially on the Light’s side. Would you swear my sisters will be away from harm’s way?” I asked.
“I swear on my honor,” he said in the most serious way possible.
I felt the tension leave my shoulders. “Thank you.”
He smiled, but it was a cunning one. “Does this mean you accept our deal?” he asked, grinning.
The scale inside of me couldn’t decide which one of us would benefit more from this deal. I was just bearing this for the sake of my sisters. Their safety was more important than anything
in the world for me. If I had a chance to save them, I would not even blink. I was willingly being dragged into this absurdity. But what could be the harm of playing Rio’s girlfriend for the safety of my sisters?
I took a deep breath and looked at Rio’s smiling face. For a moment, all of my doubts were wiped away. “Yes, I accept your offer,” I said.
The moment the words came out of my mouth, his smile got even wider, and for the first time, he genuinely seemed like the Master of Light to me. He was looking angelic with his handsomeness and a smile to die for—an otherworldly angel who didn’t seem to belong in our kitchen. And I was going to play the part of his girlfriend. Yet, I was still afraid of what could he be hiding behind that angelic face. Was he truly the person he claimed to be?
The Master of Light offered me his arm, and I took it. I placed a huge smile on my face. I needed to play my part well. I had to stick to my part of the deal.
CHAPTER 11
The first thing I did in the morning was to check on Rio. He was still sleeping. I sighed in relief. When I checked my watch, I realized that it was almost eight o’clock. I had a good night’s sleep without any dreams. It was the most comfortable sleep I’ve had in the past few days. I should have been grateful that Alejandro left me alone, but a part of me still wanted to see him. I was still drawn to him for some unexplainable reason. Especially since I found out that he was Rio’s brother, I wanted to take another look at him.
Ever since we made a deal, Rio and I had to give everyone the impression that we were lovers. Upon having thought about the images from last night, I squirmed restlessly.
“Good morning,” said a voice. I flinched.
“Sorry, did I frighten you?” Rio asked.
“No, I was just caught off guard,” I said without looking at his face.
I was still staring at the lamp on the ceiling. I was embarrassed to look at his face.
“What’s bothering you again, Mistress of Light?” he asked playfully.