Until Forever (1st draft)

Part the Twelfth

Geneva could not get the young man out of her mind. She'd had crushes before, even a couple of actual boyfriends, but she'd never felt like this. Was it because he had courageously risked his own life to save hers? Was it because she was so heartsick and vulnerable due to her mother's relentless cancer? It certainly couldn't be looks alone, even though his looks were enough to make her brain stop functioning. But she couldn't possibly be that shallow. At least she hoped she wasn't. And his scent! It was intoxicating, almost as hypnotic as his bright silvery eyes.

Those. Eyes.

Geneva had no idea how long they'd been walking since they'd restarted their journey, but she had been thinking about Sir Nellaf Wark the entire time. He had become an obsession for her after that single encounter. She wasn't aware of fatigue, of her headache, of her injuries, or even of poor Steekbunk Lowbone who occasionally attempted to divert her thinking with his awkward attempt at conversation. Her thoughts were completely focused on that young man. She wanted to see him again. She needed to see him again.

"Do you know him?" Geneva eventually asked her egg-shaped guide.

"I have many friends and enemies in Daysheen," he answered. "No strangers."

"As usual, I have no idea what you're saying," she complained. "Do you know Sir Nellaf Wark or not? Do you know anything about him?"

No reply.

"You're just going to ignore me?" she asked through clenched teeth. "Really? What's your problem? Obviously you must not like him!"

No reply.

"Are you jealous? Is that it? Is it because he's gorgeous and you're...freaky?"

No reply.

"Whatever," she said as she stopped to sit on a large flat rock. She vigorously flicked away a couple of beetles that had panicked and begun running in quick circles at her approach. It wasn't until she was seated that she became aware of how much her calves ached, and how much her anger was starting to escalate. "You know what, I'm sick of this."

Steekbunk stopped and looked back at her. "Now is not the time for rest."

"Says who?" she replied. "Are you going to make me keep walking? Am I a prisoner now?" Her voice was loud and hateful.

Steekbunk watched her without any reaction. He was motionless and expressionless.

"I'm tired. And injured. I need to rest." She dropped her ball pack to the ground. "And you're being a jerk."

"Geneva Maxwell, danger still—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she interrupted, "danger still lurks everywhere. No kidding! This whole place terrifies me! I've been scared since I first met you!" She angrily kicked her ball pack, then tried to hide the resulting pain that lanced through her big toe.

"If you're so worried about my safety," she ranted, "where were you when the Monkey Hawks attacked? It was Sir Nellaf Wark who saved me, not you!"

No reply.

"Nothing to say? That figures." She scowled, angry at him for the endless mysteries, for the tight-lipped aloofness, for keeping her from Sir Nellaf Wark, for the constant, deep-rooted pain that blackened her heart. But he didn't turn away. He met her gaze and his huge eyes didn't seem defiant; they almost seemed to plead with her. For some reason she didn't feel that his lack of response was meant to spite her, it was more like he was at a complete loss for words. Her anger was momentarily diminished.

"You look like you want to tell me something," she said in a sharply contrasting gentle tone.

"There are many secrets I wish to reveal," his musical voice almost whispered.

"So just tell me," she urged. "If you don't tell me it makes me feel like you don't really care about me as much as you say."

"I am not able to tell you. Then they would no longer be secrets," he said, before repeating the familiar three-note succession of musical tones that was becoming ingrained in her memory. "Rest if you must," he added, turning his back to her and settling down a few yards away.

Despite her countless sore muscles, Geneva couldn't rest. Now she felt guilty that something was bothering Steekbunk, even though she was still mad at him. The nervous energy got her back up on her feet and the unlikely duo restarted their meandering trek, once again walking in silence. It wasn't very long before Geneva found herself daydreaming about silvery eyes.

A light shower cooled the air, refreshing not drenching, drawing out little hovering fish whose rapidly fluttering wings sounded like hummingbirds. They looked like they had been tie-dyed with sherbet, and the bright swirls of color glittered in the moisture as the fish darted through the air swallowing the tiny water droplets. Steekbunk explained to her that with patient encouragement the fish could be herded into a small school above one's head to stay dry in a rainstorm.

The misty rain cleared just before nightfall, and not long after Steekbunk found a campsite for the evening. He picked through the underbrush, showing Geneva the foliage, roots, and berries that were edible. He soaked a thick wedge of yellow moss in water and it expanded like a sponge, then he squeezed the water out and peeled off the edges like string cheese and draped the strands atop the colorful salads he had assembled. He told her that the moss would help ease the pain of her injuries and encourage faster healing.

Geneva wasn't thrilled with the looks of the meal, or the smell of the moss, but she was famished and so she gobbled it down without a second thought. The bread they had brought helped offset the spicy tang of the roots, and in hindsight Geneva thought the salad wasn't bad at all. After finishing the last of her sap juice, she curled up on her makeshift bedding. She had nearly dozed off when she was startled by a loud burp from Steekbunk. Since he was obviously still awake, she thought she'd try one more time.

"Why is it a secret whether you know Sir Nellaf Wark? That doesn't make sense to me. I just want to know more about him. Like maybe how old he is. Or, I don't know, maybe...whether he's single."

No reply.

Geneva sighed and rolled over. Steekbunk chirped his three-note melody.

"Maybe someday I'll actually know what that means," she said.