SOUL DORM

41

Stuck in the middle with you...

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CHAPTER 41:

BIRTHDAY

Some people were born unlucky. I had always been grateful not to be one of them. But... whatever I had done wrong between the accident and waking up in purgatory, had wiped away any trace of that good fortune. Here I was, poor Olive, once again on the brink of death.

Even before I opened my eyes, something coiled around my waist. In my mind, I saw the Guardian's arms. I thrashed to escape. Bubbles escaped my mouth as I screamed underwater. Resisting its strength was impossible. I was dragged along by the clawed arm that had caught me. But... something was off. I had started breathing again. The monster was pulling me to the surface, not the depths. And that monster...

"You..." I said, coughing up the water in my throat.

Mars was right in front of me, his eyes gleaming. It had to be him who caught and pulled me to the surface because his arm was still wrapped around my waist. The momentary relief of not being eaten by a monster turned into intense anger as I realized the game he was playing. I pushed against his chest, trying to break free from his grasp. He didn't let go.

"You did it on purpose," I said, struggling. "You tricked me!"

He seemed unaffected by the water splashing everywhere. He tightened his grip, preventing my escape. He grinned, only to infuriate me more. "Was it so bad?" he said. "Thanks to me, you saw there was nothing to be afraid of."

Blood rushed to my head. "I thought something happened to you, you idiot! I almost had a heart attack trying to save you."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "I know, but you wouldn't have entered the lake otherwise. I knew you'd only follow me like this."

"Because I'm a fool!" I said, gritting my teeth. I pushed him again, splashing more water. He dodged his head but didn't release me. With his free hand, he caught my wrist mid-air and finally stopped me. Realizing I couldn't escape, I attacked with words instead.

"I should've let you find your trouble and gotten rid of you forever."

He smiled instead of taking offense. "But you didn't, Oliver. You never do... No matter how much I warn you, you keep trying to help people. Look, you even tried to save me."

This time, I couldn't respond. Now that I had stopped struggling, I realized how close we were. The water wasn't warm; the heat came from Mars's body pressed against mine. His bangs, always covering his eyes, were slicked back from the water. The light reflecting from the lake made his blue eyes look like glass. I swallowed involuntarily. There was an unsettling flutter in my stomach.

"Let me go," I said for what felt like the hundredth time, but this time my voice lacked strength. "You won."

His gaze softened. "I wasn't trying to win, Oliver. I was trying to retrieve this from the bottom."

He released my wrist in the air. The arm around my waist loosened, and then he lifted his hand out of the water. Between his fingers was a glowing, round object. It looked like a pinkish-white pearl, but it was transparent. Light seemed trapped inside, moving like a cloud.

"What is this?" I asked, unable to take my eyes off the pearl.

"It's a gift," he said.

I stared at him blankly. "A gift?"

"Isn't this your rebirth party? What's a birthday without a present? This is your gift." He reached for my hand, turned it over, and placed the pearl in my palm. "In honor of your return... Just try not to save strangers or jump into water after boys you hate. It always ends up impacting me somehow..."