Sands Of Time

Emotional Damage pt. 1

  The kiss that lingered on my lips was soft and full of passion. I could tell Bruno was trying to find a way to thank me for what we had just did, and it seemed this was the best he could come up with right now. I had no complaints over it. I enjoyed every gentle peck, and each deep entwineing of our lips as we stood there in the dim glow of his magic door. Bruno's hands held onto my hips like I would float away if he let go, or worse, he would wake up and I would be gone. My fingers slid up the back of his neck and settled in the soft curls of his hair.

  Finally our lips parted. Bruno's hazel orbs watched me like he was trying to memorize each feature of my face, lingering on my eyes the longest. After a moment he blinked himself back to reality and spoke, "We should probably get back out there."

  "Yeah, wouldn't want your mother getting mad at me for keeping you from your party." I giggled and watched the corner of his mouth turn up in an awkward chuckle. Bruno gave me one more small kiss before reluctantly pulling his hands back, and making sure his clothing wasn't out of place. He tucked the front of his shirt back into the waistline of his pants, and I took a cue from that to make sure my dress wasn't rumpled. Once we were sure we were presentable, Bruno opened the door, and stood aside to let me walk out first. I heard the door click, and saw him step up beside me. We descended the small steps and once at the bottom we could see that there were still quite a few people enjoying the party. Bruno turned to me.

  "Why don't you stay here. I'll go see if there are any empanada left, and be right back." He smiled to me and then made his way down the stairs. His steps as he left were lighter, and he practically skipped his way down to the lower level of his home. I was the reason that this man, usually so reserved and sad, was smiling happily with confidence. I wouldn't have thought that I could feel this happy about being with someone. Let alone that someone being the town Seer, Bruno Madrigal. After a moment, I thought about sitting on the steps while waiting for him to come back, but then I heard my name being said near by. It was the Doña. She was standing near the top of the stairs looking at me.

  "Good evening, Señora." I said with a small curtsey out of respect. She must have only just walked up as I didn't see her when Bruno left. Just like when I saw her after the dance, the look on her face was undeterminable.

  "Come with me." She adjusted her black shawl, and stepped past the jutting corner of wall. I looked at the stairs hoping that Bruno was on his way back, but realized I couldn't wait for him. With a quick step, I caught up to Alma by the time she had stopped, only a few short feet away, in front of her own door. Like the other doors, a magical golden glow emanated from around a stylized image of the woman before me. The difference, I noticed, was in place of her name, a bright 'Abuela' shone in its place. She twisted the knob, and wordlessly stepped inside. A knot twisted in my stomach, it was heavy with sudden dread as I stepped in behind her.

  Before me was a simple, and beautiful sitting room that was not too dissimilar to my mother's, only larger. A sprawling colorful area rug sat in the middle of the brown tiled floor, and on it sat a couch and two chairs. A purple blanket sat on the back of the couch and a small fireplace sat quietly facing the furniture. There on the left side of the room was a staircase that, I assumed, went up to her sleeping area.

  "I know what you are up to." Alma didn't look at me as she spoke, instead choosing to walk over and sit in what seemed to be her favorite chair. The fabric on its cushions seemed a little more worn than the others. After registering what she has said, I was taken aback by the abrupt nature of her statement.

  "Señora?" She finally looked at me. "I'm not sure I understand where this is going." I didn't know if I should sit down or not, and now I wasn't sure I wanted to.

  "I think you do. I've seen enough girls like you." Her gaze showed a kind of calm that could shake the very soul of even the most brave men, and it was directed straight at me.