Hearing him say those words had lit up my soul in a way I never thought possible. At that exact moment, everything was perfect.
Perfect.
“You want to marry me?” I’m whispering, hiding my happy grin behind the oversized lily.
He nods. “Someday. When we’re older. But not too old. Maybe once we’re outta high school...”
I see myself laugh, but I know at that moment I was thinking if my heart felt any fuller it would explode from too much joy.
“You’ve thought this through,” I’m saying.
He nods again, braver now. “If you want to, that is. Of course, if you find someone better…someone you like more…”
“Michael, stop. How could I possibly find anyone I like more? That would be impossible! Let’s do it. We can get married and the three of us can all live together in a big house and everything will be perfect forever!” I’m dancing around in a happy circle.
He smiles, but it’s a nervous smile. His brown eyes turn serious, and he moves closer to me. I know this moment. My heart is racing so fast...
I see myself close my eyes, but remember the feeling of Michael’s lips briefly, gently touching mine…of my whole world exploding with fireworks.
He quickly pulls away and looks down at the ground, unaware those few seconds when he first kisses me by the pond will provide me with the happiest memory of my life.
A short yelp followed by a longer scream interrupts the intimate moment.
“Kayla!”
Michael and I both turn and sprint to where she has fallen. Of course, I reach her first, and when Michael arrives I’m already cradling Kayla in my arms.
“Ow, ow, my leg…it hurts…help,” Kayla sobs.
I watch myself take hold of Kayla’s broken leg. I’d never tried doing this before, but somehow, deep inside, I knew I could do what needed to be done. Wrapping my hands around her injury, I concentrate and allow my fire to heal her.
A moment later, Kayla’s sobs are replaced with laughter. Michael crouches beside me, staring in awe. Kayla looks at me adoringly and grasps my hand.
“Liora…how did you do that? That was like…magic.”
I’m shrugging. “I dunno…I just knew I could.” Tatiana had been teaching me about my ‘special’ heritage, and how I was different from other human boys and girls. She’d also warned me never to say anything, even to Michael and Kayla. But they knew I was different without me ever saying a word. And they loved me anyway.
Kayla struggles to her feet and brushes the dirt from her white dress. “You’re so lucky. Is there anything you can’t do? Man, I wish I had cool powers like you do. I’m so ordinary. Boring and…unmagical.”
“It’s not really magic, though…it’s something else.”
“Well, whatever it is, you’re lucky. Lucky Liora. Lucky, lucky, lucky,” she sings as she begins climbing back up the tree. Grabbing a thick branch she hoists herself back into the tire, bravely forgetting her earlier mishap. Michael and I are standing next to each other, watching her with smiles on our faces. He gently wraps his hand around mine.
“Lucky Liora,” Kayla repeats as her long, blonde hair flows behind her in the wind. “And lucky me for having a very best friend and someday sister who is so wonderfully magical. Lucky me. Lucky, lucky me.” The sound of her tinkling laughter carries through the fields.
“I think I’m the lucky one,” Michael whispers from beside me.
“I’m the luckiest of all,” I whisper back.
Michael leans closer and gently kisses me again. Kayla laughs.
“We should get going soon,” I say, even though I don’t want our perfect day to end. “It’s getting dark out, and I promised Tatiana I’d be home for dinner.”
“Just a little while longer,” Michael says. I smile and squeeze his hand.
“Hello, there…”
Michal and I turn to see two young girls emerge from a patch of tall, wild grass. Kayla, unaware of the girls’ arrival, continues to swing.
As I’m watching the scene replay before me, I feel two distinctly separate sets of emotions at once: one…the curious apprehension my younger self is feeling; the second…the sheer, unbridled terror of now.
I try screaming: Run away! Get Kayla and Michael and run for your lives!
I hear the desperate pleas in my mind, but no sound comes from my lips. I’m nothing more than a silent, invisible observer, powerless to stop the horrific scene from unfolding.
Just like then.
“Hello, where did you guys come from?” Michael’s friendly voice is laced with surprise.
We should’ve seen them earlier; I’d thought it odd that we hadn’t. But maybe we were all too wrapped up in our perfect little world to notice two people approaching.