Eternal Symphony

22. Daughter of the Sea

Once the ballet ended and everyone emptied the theatre, she and Elijah strolled down the busy street, briefly sightseeing the brightly and festively lit city. Alice was thrown back into reality after the performance, but for a reason she couldn't explain, she saw herself as Odette—a maiden who met with a terrible curse.

Her face grew ashen against the city lights when recalling her past nightmares where she failed to mention her own spell. What if I'm like the swan princess?

Alice was oblivious to Elijah's curious gaze as he studied her with a quizzical brow. When seeing his reaction, she resorted to complimenting everything in sight to distract her busy thoughts and to keep him from questioning her odd behavior; Elijah smiled and tightly gripped her hand latched to his arm. "What did you think of the production?"

"It was lovely," she admitted, still faintly distressed, "I've never seen a ballet in person before, and their costumes and footwork were wonderful. I could never have the coordination to do anything like that. Thank you for taking me."

"Of course. It was my pleasure, and I look forward to many more." Through his smile, Elijah remained uneasy, leaving Alice slightly suspicious that he knew of her hidden misfortunes.

I want to know what's happening to me. Eventually, I will get the truth from him—I deserve the right to know.

However, before she could ask him more about it, a series of familiar images flashed through her thoughts like bolts of lightning, fragments of her past dreams hitting her like a truck. Alice felt light-headed and dizzy as soon as she took another step, suddenly afflicted with a splitting headache worse than before that came and went after a few seconds, and the visions vanished. 

She groaned and held her forehead, and the concerned Elijah tightly wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her standing. "What happened?"

After achieving respite, Alice shook her head. "Nothing. It's nothing; I'm fine." Still, he escorted her back towards his parked car while keeping a close watch in case the incident happened again.

When it was clear she wouldn't answer his poking and prodding questions regarding her well-being, Elijah finally said, "As much as I admire your stubbornness, I don't want you to be unwell. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

There is, but I know you can't since you won't answer my questions. Defeated and ruefully undone, Alice flashed him a fake smile. "My headache is gone. I'm fine."

Elijah was reluctant to accept her answer; he gently squeezed her shoulders, wary of her mask. "This is coming from me, but you look awfully pale."

Alice couldn't meet his gaze and covered his hand with hers, his cold touch surprisingly soothing. "I'm fine."

Elijah looked at her suspiciously before finally accepting her answer when Alice remained headstrong. As he assisted her in getting in the seat, he started, "If it happens again—"

"Please," Alice placed a hand on his arm before he went to the driver's side, "don't worry about me. I don't want to ruin the evening."

He clicked his tongue against his teeth. "You could never ruin the night," he chuckled, "and it's not fair for you to ask me not to worry—I always do." Yet his agitation and apprehension grew, and Elijah sped away from the opera house before Alice could buckle herself.

Why is he suddenly so tense? She immediately thought of how he acted similarly at Sea Cliff and feared pushing him away. Did I say or do something wrong again? It's not my fault that this keeps happening. Her hands quivered when her headache returned, but the pain was tolerable this time; she ignored it and pushed through, not wanting to worry Elijah further.