part 9 - first meeting

His eyes bore into mine, seeing into the unknown depths of my soul. It unnerved me, so I cowered away. But, as I turned two strong hands grasped my arms in a gentle, yet firm grip. It was enough to stop me in my tracks, and look him straight in the eye again. I noticed the darkness of his brown eyes. The way he looked when he was frustrated. It was part of what made me love fall in love with him. Though I needed to do this; I had no choice...

*

I woke with a start, my eyes were wild with terror. I was drenched in sweat and was shaking.

“It was only a dream. Only a dream.” I murmured reassuringly to myself. Though it wasn’t just a dream, and I knew it. It was the last time I’d seen Scott. He was dead now, he was only a normal human. Whereas she was an adept. I always told people I was only 18, I was in actual fact a staggering 210, yet looked no older than 17. That was the upside to being an adept.

*

Back when I’d first started learning magic I’d only been around 15 years old. It was back in 1816, her and her parents live in Donegal. I was an only child at this stage, and they lived on a small rural farm. One day she was out in the barn milking the cow. Her head was bent low so her long cascade of blonde curls obscured her face. All of a sudden she heard a deep, hesitant cough from behind her. Whipping round, she peered into the dim, misty, mid December gloom through the open barn door. The silhouette of a young man hovered in the door frame. When she looked colder, she saw how handsome he was. His hair looked thick and dark and stood up at awkward angles as if he had just run his fingers through it. Her eyes travelled down over his dark brown eyes and plush, red - tainted lips. He was tall and looked muscular with strong, capable hands. He wore plain, dirt speckled trousers which frayed at the bottom; and on his torso he wore a torn t-shirt.

I suddenly became aware of the fact that I had been staring at him and looked away quickly, embarrassed by my rudeness. When I glanced back shyly, I saw him give me a cute, hesitant, lop sided grin. I returned his gesture with my own small smile. Lowering my head I looked at the floor, and I heard his footsteps as he rustled the dry straw which littered the ground. I felt his gaze so I lifted by head to look him in the eye.

“I’ve been watching you,” he said. His voice was deep and alluring. Even though his words should have disturbed or even scared me, they didn’t. They made me feel safe and warm.

“You have?”

“Yeah.” He looked at the ground awkwardly, not hiding his embarrassment. “Not in a creepy, stalker way or anything.” He said quickly, “Just... You’re new here.” He wasn’t asking, he was merely stating. I nodded. “Have you a boyfriend, or anything?” he asked quickly. It startled me because of the way he  said it jealously and protectively.

“No. My father won’t let me. He.. he doesn’t want me to get my heart broken.” I shrugged my shoulders in a what can I do way. He smiled, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well I’d like to get to know you better. If you don’t mind that is?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that a lot.”

“My name’s Scott. What’s yours?”

“Étaoin.”

Étaoin.” He mused pulling me to my feet. “A pretty name”, he said, tucking a few stray strands of my hair behind my ears, “for a pretty girl.”

He cupped my face in his hands, and bent down to kiss me. As soon as our lips met, it was magnetic. It made me want more, and he must have felt the same as his hands move from my face, down my body and encircled my waist pressing our bodies together. He backed me against the wall, pushing us even closer together.

“We shouldn’t do this.” I said heavily. “My father would kill you if he knew the truth.”

Scott broke away and looked me in the eye. “Then let him. Because I love you, Étaoin. I’m in love with you. I barely know you, but I’m pulled towards you. I want you, more than anything in the world. But I’ll stop if you want me to.”

I held his face in my hands. “I’m in love with you too.” I kissed him again, softly, because I knew what I said was true. I was in love with Scott. He made me feel complete, here with him now. He kissed me back fiercer and more passionate than he had before.

All too soon, I heard my father shouting my name. Wrenching myself away from Scott, I grabbed his hand I pulled him to a window which led straight to the shelter of the forest. He climbed through the window and whispered in my ear. “meet me in the forest meadow before sunset. I’ll be waiting.” He kissed me softly, lingering for a moment then fled to the shadows of the trees.

*

A tear fell down my face as I remembered our first meeting. I’d never love anyone the same again. Never as much as I loved, no, love him. Sometimes I wish I could have dies with him.