Moongrace

Part 48

"Eleeza?", a stained voice exclaimed in incredulity.

No matter the state of it, Eleeza would always recognize this voice.

"Evan!", she shouted happily. She wiggled out of Ellob's arms, who let go of her easily, steading her even. Then she started to walk towards Evan's voice. Long grass made her stumble as it got tangled with the remnants of her dress. She couldn't believe it yet. Finally, after so many weeks, she would meet her love again!

Could it truly be real? Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe she hadn't listened properly. She got slower, her pretty face clearly showing her anxiety.

But then she caught his smell and a smile brighter than she sun graced her face. Soon his hand touched hers.

"Evan, is it really you?", she asked happily.

As an answer he engulfed her in his arms, burring his face in her soft hair. She pressed her face on his chest, taking in his amazing smell.

"Oh, Evan! I missed you so much!", she squealed as he lifted her up and kissed her.

"I missed you, too! I always knew you would come back." He answered happily and relieved.
Tracing her hand starting from his chest, along his neck all the way up to his face, she caressed his cheeks. Eleeza stood up on her toes and brought her lips close to his, locking their lips in a captivating kiss. It was one of those kisses, where one loses touch of reality – passionate and warming from the core. Evan cupped her face in his hand and intensified the kiss, overwhelmed by this need to kiss her badly and stimulated by her amazing lips.

Suddenly someone cleared his throat from behind. Disturbed they reluctantly let go and got aware of the others. Both blushed and Eleeza grinned a bit ashamed to behave like this in front of her newly found family.

"Who are they? Is it your family?", Evan asked her.

Eleeza smiled in his direction and explained: "Part of. Esalaa and Ellob are indeed my siblings. Erno is my cousin and Sanaani, the supposedly red-haired, is a friend. I met them only today as they helped me escape and get back to you. Cathryn, the human girl, is a new and very good friend of mine. She came along with me. But you must find out yourself, who's who, for I mostly don't know what they look like." Esalaa's pretty and Erno's frightful face flashed through her mind.

One of her siblings flew forward and landed in front of them. The scent of tulips and thyme told her it was Esalaa before she spoke up: "Hi Evan, we met before. Your remember?", she greeted in her broken Lecish.

"Of course", Evan replied rather shyly: "You were the one in the castle."

Evan felt uncomfortable.

He was truly happy to have Eleeza back, though he couldn't really believe it as of now. He couldn't keep himself from starring at her. It was hard to tear his gaze from her, even during speaking to Esalaa. He wondered what had happened to her. New questions added to the those that had bothered him all this: Why had she left? Why had she just mentioned the word 'escape'? And why was she surrounded by members of her family, when they had left her alone on this planet years ago? The winged people intimidated him. They men were very tall and all of them had that tinge of perfection on their looks. No one was as perfect looking as Eleeza, yet they were looking very different from humans. Maybe it was their eyes, or the shape of their face and cheeks? Or the way they stood so straight, he wondered. One of the men was staring at him intensely, not really friendly. Evan shuddered and returned looking at Eleeza and her happy smile. Her silver eyes directed into nothingness.

"Can't you heal her?", Even suddenly blurted out towards Esalaa. Whose face immediately turned anxious and sad: "I tried. Not working."

"Oh!", was all Evan could mutter. He directly watched Eleeza, since this must be hard news for her. But she seemed only slightly bugged.

Awkward silence spread as all of them looked at each other yet avoided direct eye contact.
The blond-haired guy with the ocean coloured eyes spoke up in their melodious language: "Eleeza, you need proper rest. How far is that house of your Evan?"

"Evan, my brother wants to know how far we are from Meadowbrook." Eleeza translated.

"Oh, ahm. Not far. It's only about fifteen minutes by foot."

"Where are we anyway?", Eleeza smelled around but else than grass there seemed nothing special about this place.

"At our meadow", Evan answered smiling warmly and tightening his arm around her, as her face lit up from the memories they shared about this special place.

"It's fifteen minutes by foot. Will you accompany us to the farm?", she asked her brother suddenly. She didn't want to tell her family good-bye as of now. Yet she dearly needed a bed to sleep – soon!

"I don't know if it's such a good idea." Erno warned.

"Of course you wouldn't!", Eleeza replied annoyed by his constant lack of trust in Evan and his family.

"But I won't be hiding in front of them anymore. I have no strength to hide my wings today. That being new to them, they might get to know you as well."

"It's forbidden... But then this whole mission is against the law. I don't mind breaking yet another and getting to know a real human family", Sanaani stated with a smile in her voice. Eleeza turned in the direction of her voice to give her a thankful smile.

"I would love to meet the people you live with. But the sight of us will frighten them – I don't want to scare them into not trusting you", Ellob said.

"But they do trust me already. And I know, that they have had a suspicion that I am no normal blind girl. Evan's sister has always guessed that there is more to me than visible. They wouldn't be too much frightened by the sight of you, I guess..." But she wasn't sure.

How would they, as farmers with little occurrence of magic in their daily life, take it to have five non-human beings in their kitchen?