Lament

Chapter Seven [pt. 2]

"Repeat after me: Feit Nomaden, bitte helfen Sie mir auf meine verräterischen Reise durch die Weite der Zeit, die ich von dir beschenkt worden."

I tried my best. The way Daniel recited the prayer was graceful and flowing. The language sounded German... The way I said it was sloppy and just plain embarrassing.

"What does it mean?" I asked.

He didn't answer. Instead, he replied, "Watch." His eyes went to my hand on his wound.

I watched, both puzzled and amazed at the same time. slowly but surely, Daniels skin began to knit itself together right before my eyes. I kept my hand on his stomach long after it was fully closed.

Heat spread through my arm. and a faded golden light traveped up his stomach to his chest, up his neck, and over his cuts and bruises all over his face. Then the heat faded until my arm was icy cold. I removed my hand and found Daniel with no wounds anywhere on his perfect skin.

I felt my mouth open to say something. Anything. But nothing came out of my mouth. My heart fluttered in my chest like a hummingbird's wings. Daniel's breathing wasn't forced anymore; in fact, he seemed perfectly fine. Perfectly normal. Like a regular teenage boy with his shirt off in a teenage girl's room at night.

How is that possible?

Abruptly, I stood, shaking my head. It was all too much.

Daniel got to his feet quickly and held up both hands slightly as if in surrender. "Let me explain, Eona."

"You need to leave."

"Eona, you need to know what is going on." Daniel insisted.

I closed my eyes tightly and clenched my fists. "It is just too much, Daniel. Too much and too soon."

"I know, Eona."

I opened my eyes and looked at him. He had a sad expression, and his eyes were filled with something that I've never seen before. Longing?

My mind wasbhavijg a mental war with itself. One side was telling me to kick him out, and the other was urging me to pull him into an embrace.

"You need to hear this from me and only me," he stated. "Someone may tell you something differently, or they will keep out important details." Daniel took a shakey breath. "I will tell you everything." He gestured for me to sit down, but I just stood and crossed my arms. Sighing, he started with, "Do you believe in reincarnation?"

The question caught me off guard. " No." I replied. "I don't."

Daniel pursed his lips. "Well," he swallowed, "you should." He cleared his throat and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. "Let me tell you a story...

"Hundreds of years ago," he began, "A boy lived in a small town just outside of Gransee, Germany. His name was Dante. He had lived with his aunt and uncle because his parents had passed a few years.prior.

"They had a boy a little older than Dante. His name was Alexander. Ever since the two boys met, they had been best friends. Alexander would always try to think of a way to get the two boys into some sort of trouble, but the boy, Dante, never minded. Alexander was his idol." Daniel paused for a moment to look up and noticed that I had moved to my desk to lean against it. It was the furthest away I could be from him while listening to the story... I think he noticed.

Daniel went on. "One day, the two boys went graceless to Berlin. It was absolutely beautiful, and it was their first time on going without the aunt or uncle. Dante was eighteen and Alexander was twenty-two. They were enjoying the sights when they both spotted the most beautiful young lady they'd ever seen.