Two Worlds (Two Worlds #1)

Sanctuary

Hi is good. For starters.

Juliet twitched a bit, as if she had never heard a voice before. For the moment, it really felt that way.

His voice. Juliet analyzed it, as if she was holding it in her hands. Carefully, she'd examine every corner of it with the mere tip of her finger, making sure not to break it. It was very different from her own, somehow deeper, yet lighter than Marion's. It was a pleasant sound, causing her heart to flutter by that one word. Juliet lowered her gaze, still scared yet somehow shy. At least it didn't seem like he wanted to hurt her.

"H-hi", she stuttered, a bit doubtfully. In front of her, the man seemed nervous just like herself, and it made her relax a bit more. For a moment none of them said anything, but then suddenly his eyes started to glow enthusiastically as he took a few steps towards her in a rapid manner. The sudden movement scared Juliet, so she backed off a bit to extend the distance between them yet again. The boy immediately stopped while looking at her with a worried face, making her wonder if she hurt him in some way. Juliet was about to apologize when he startled her again, speaking a bit louder than he ought to.

"I am very sorry! I was just hit by a sudden curiosity, realizing that you actually are a real life woman", the boy explained regretfully. Juliet felt bad for acting so cold towards him. After all, he didn't seem to be so different from herself.

"It's fine", she answered, and smiled shyly without meeting his eyes. If she did, her heart might just burst. Juliet continued:

"I'm sorry for pulling away, I was just scared. I've never met a man before."

Her words struck Romeo like a lightning, without her even knowing it.

For the first time, Romeo's face unknowingly took on a bright, red color, although it was barely visible in the enchanting light casted upon them. He felt incredibly stupid for his actions, Romeo wasn't normally like this. His heart was racing in an unnatural way, and his body was moving on its own. It was like he had been given new life all of the sudden.

He excused himself again.

"Tell me, could I...?" Romeo stopped in the middle of his sentence, looking at her right hand. The girl didn't seem to understand what he was aiming for, but she reached it out and he took it in his. It was true that men and women were similar in many aspects. Romeo carefully examined every centimeter of the girl's hand, touched her fingers and fingernails in a manner that caused her to chuckle a bit.

"What are you doing? "she asked, a bit more relaxed than before. It didn't seem like she had anything to fear. He was completely harmless.

Romeo instantly let go of the hand, and nervously scratched the back of his head.

"I apologize sincerely", he said with a slightly unstable voice. "I was just so very curious about how similar men and women really are. But it's really true, even our hands look just the same. Oh, but yours are much neater."

Romeo laughed a bit nervously, which definitely didn't match his normal attitude. It was as if every word that left his mouth sounded stupid once they got out, and when he tried to balance it, everything just got worse. Romeo wasn't used to these kinds of feelings at all, and it made him feel clumsier than ever.

"Oh", the girl simply said, looking at her hand and then back at Romeo. "Hey..." she then began, a bit uncertain. "Is this really... okay?"

When the words reached him, Romeo looked at her with a perplexed expression, not sure what to say. Although he understood, Romeo still asked her the stupid question.

"How do you mean?"

The girl looked down at her feet in a shy manner. Probably, she had problems speaking up. Or maybe it was just Romeo who appeared scary enough for one not wanting to open their mouth.

"T-to meet like this..." She raised her gaze again, looking at Romeo with a troubled look. "In my land, this is punishable with death itself... To enter the wall, cross the border... Not to mention meeting a man. I should consider myself lucky for not getting arrested yet, having these kind of thoughts."

Romeo twitched a bit when hearing those words. It seemed like a few of the mysterious questions constantly circulating in his mind weren't as out-of-the-blue as he first thought they were.

"So you abide the same rules we do?" Romeo asked. "What you just said is the greatest and most important Decision in my land's history. Criminals lose their heads."

He pressed his eyelids together for a brief second, as if trying to push all of his shame away only for the moment.

"And yet here we are."

The girl followed his example.

That was how they remained for time that felt like hours, trying to forget all of the threats still lingering in the air. Only for a moment, if they could stay like this, then it would be fine. Inside of the Grand Wall meant to keep the two apart, a sanctuary where the Decisions no longer had control over them. It was like entering a world of painless slumber, and the two children thought that it would be nice if they could stay like that forever.

Then they woke up.