Memory Shards (Book#1 of Malachi)

Chapter 2: The girl full of hope

Light rays shined through the trees. The wind blew east. All was perfect with the picture, an island- a resort. But there lay a boy who- by many reasons- was not supposed to be there. He was still, neither contributing or taking away from the island.

As if he had been holding his breath, Mal gasped for air. He awoke, stunned. He sat up immediately scanning the area around him.

A girl stood before him, one eye brow cocked.

"That was quite weird," she said.

Those words, he thought. They're not English, yet I understand them completely.

"I- Where am I?" Mal said, surprised at the language that he was suddenly speaking.

"The nameless Island," she said as though it were common knowledge to the entire world. She seemed to be studying him, he thought.

He decided to do the same.

She was about five foot. Quite short. She was slim and she had a pretty face. Her eye lashes seemed large and thick, yet she wore no mascara.

Her short hair was purple, only coming past her chin. There was a single, small braid on the left side of her hair. Her skin was near the color gray. Her eyes were the color of a darker green.

She wore a white, loose dress that barely came past her knees. She was barefoot.

Mal suddenly felt self-conscious. She was about his age- odd. How did he know his age? Suddenly all that happened the night before came rushing into his mind.

"Please," Mal sighed. "Don't tell me you're Agredon."

The girl wrinkled her nose, bringing her eyebrows down. "Agredon? By the skies. What sort of name is that?"

Mal looked down at his chest, expecting to see blood and a gash. But he saw nothing. Even more surprising, his whole left side was normal, including his entire arm. He touched his face, yet to his dismay he still felt the large burn scars.

"What happened to your face?" The girl inquired.

Mal thought it to be a rude question. Yet, he couldn't answer, for he knew not.

"I'm not sure." He responded.

"What's your name?" She asked smiling.

Ma- He thought, then thought harder. Ma- Malachi!

"Malachi," He responded. He felt a grin form at his lips. He remembered!

He stood up and looked around. He heard the steady crashing of the waves upon the beach. The wind blew the palms, pines, whatever they were.

"The elders have been praying," she said, her voice monotone. "They were praying for someone to come."

Malachi knew what prayer meant. He wondered if he at one point had prayed.

"I wish I knew what was what," he said. Then he turned around to face her. He was about half a foot taller than her.

She looked him up and down, her eyes stopping once they made contact with his.

Malachi felt a bit embarrassed that he didn't have a shirt on, his cheeks somehow burning. He remembered then. In his knowledgeable mind came up the word "blushing." He believed himself to be blushing.

"The elders will be sorely disappointed," she said, shaking her head. "They were hoping for a warrior, not a boy who has barely eaten. You seem as though you have not had proper nourishment since your birth."