Savior (Book One)

Chapter Eight

Music blaring, bodies dancing in rhythm...it didn't matter that I was now sweating from dancing too much. I was content since Anabell was there with me, a grin on her glossy lips, her eyes crinkled at the edges. For once since this war started, I felt truly happy.
Granted, I have had my moments of happiness in Heaven, but those feelings were miniscule compared to the ones I felt right now.
I was living in the moment, caught in a blissful trance as I moved, albeit horribly, to the song that was playing. I shook my hips to the beat, my arms trailing up over my head. A breathy laugh escaped me as I caught sight of a student horribly dancing the Sprinkler, while one other did a rather...impressive interpretation of the Robot. Anabell laughed with me, her hips swaying almost...exotically, completely entrancing me. I didn't know why I was so captivated by the way her hips swung to the left, then right. The glitter from her dress glimmered as she moved.
For some weird reason my mouth suddenly went dry, my heart beating erratically against my chest. The dancing bodies around us faded until it was just Anabell and I, the world no longer relevant as we stared into each other’s eyes.
I hadn't even noticed that we had gotten closer until I was staring directly in those captivating emerald eyes. My lips hovered above hers, our breaths mingling, and for a second I could have sworn my heart stopped. We were so close, our lips just barely touching…
“Ladies and Gentlemen! It has come to the time to announce this year's prom king and queen!”
Never before have I witnessed Anabell move so fast, heat flooding my face as I realized what we had been about to do. I had almost kissed Anabell! I was so close to figuring out how those pretty lips felt against mine. I felt...disappointed that we had been interrupted.
I wanted to know what it felt like to have her full, plump lips participating in a dance of passion. I have never felt anything so intense before, and to be honest, it both frightened me and intrigued me.
What I felt was akin to a burning furnace trying to will me into its blistering heat. It was a dangerously tempting dance with which I could already see myself falling victim to.
Feeling like a deflated balloon, I willed my eyes away from Anabell’s form, glaring up at the student who had interrupted us.
I paid no mind to what he said, only clapping with the crowd over whatever information he relayed. It was only when Anabell stiffened beside me that I tuned back into the real world, watching with distaste as a crown was placed on Cody’s head.
He doesn't deserve such praise, I thought bitterly, glaring with all my might at the man on the stage. I didn't understand why I was so angry, I mean, Anabell told me that she didn't care what he did, right? Was she only hiding her grief under a mask of indifference in order to protect herself? I remember hearing from Bud that women were complicated creatures. I had thought him to be joking, at the time, but perhaps there was some truth to those words.
Before I could change my mind, I held the brunette’s hand in a comforting gesture. She glanced at me curiously, but said nothing as she relaxed with a blush on  her cheeks. I felt strangely...giddy that I had evoked such a response from her, and I relished the feeling as I glanced back up at the stage.
After both the prom king and queen were announced, there was about an hour left of dancing and joking around before Anabell and I decided to call it quits. Sarah was right with us in our decision, so we all parted from prom to go home.
Fast forward a couple of hours and I found myself lounging on my bed, staring up at the ceiling as my mind raced. Raced with the thoughts of a certain brunette. My heart fluttered at the mere thought of Anabell. I had almost given her my first kiss. I felt embarrassed that I was nearing seven thousand years of age and had never been kissed, but I had a few older siblings who put me to shame in that department. Though, there were some who had already felt the body of another, and I briefly wondered if they constantly thought about their conquest. If their heart fluttered at the mere sight of them. Or if their cheeks warmed whenever they were near.
I felt like I was eternally floating in a river of bliss whenever I thought of Anabell.
I sighed, closing my eyes while I gently scraped my teeth against my bottom lip. Until suddenly the light beside me disappeared, leaving me in complete darkness.
Scowling, I opened my eyes and noticed that the lamp by my bed was out. Did the bulb blow, or something? I wondered as I dragged myself out of my comfy bed, feet thumping softly against the carpet as I made my way across the room. I walked over to the switch on my wall and flicked it up, a bad feeling creeping up my spine when the room remained in darkness.
Was the power completely out? I opened my door and glanced out into the hallway, not a light to be seen. Suddenly worried out of my mind, I rushed over to Anabell’s door, rasping my fingers against the wooden surface. When I received no answer, I panicked and barged into her room, going completely still when I didn't see anyone in there.
Where did she go?
Was she alright?
What if she was taken by Adam? Or worse?
What if…
“Sky?”
My thoughts halting, I turned around and saw Anabell’s silhouette in the dark. Relief flooded through me as I glanced to her room briefly, then back to her. “I thought something happened to you,” I muttered lamely, heat flooding my cheeks.
Anabell’s form moved closer and I could almost see the confusion imprinted on her pretty features. “I was in the bathroom. Is the power out, or something? I was trying to shave my legs when the lights decided to go out.”
I tried hard to not think about Anabell in the tub, her long, pale legs over the side of the bath. I failed miserably to keep the thought at bay, but somehow managed to divert my treacherous thoughts. I cleared my throat and looked anywhere but at Anabell. “I think so. It's kind of weird.” I pursed my lips and tried to strain my eyes to see the expression on her face. “I wonder if it's a technical problem.”
“Or,” Anabell drawled, “some idiot wasn't looking where he was driving, and hit a pole.” My heart sped to overdrive as she brushed passed me to enter her room.
“Right,” I said dumbly, standing in her room awkwardly as she sat on her bed.
“Well? Is there something you need? As you can see, I am totally fine. Except my poor legs. Shaving in the dark is the least ideal thing to do.”
“Prom was fun,” I blurted, warmth filling my cheeks.
Anabell’s head shifted, as if she were trying to locate me. It seemed like an eternity before she spoke, a soft lilt to her voice. “Yeah, it was. Except for the whole “Cody” thing, I had a really good time.”
I leaned against the frame of the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Cody’s just a spoiled little jerk.” I could tell that Anabell was surprised at my choice of word, since “jerk” wasn't something I usually said about a person. I just couldn't comprehend how selfish a person could be to willingly hurt someone's feelings. Perhaps the heart that beat in his chest was as cold as a glacier, shying away from any kind of warmth. It was rather sad, really. To live in such a cold existence. I shivered from the mere thought.
Clearing my throat, I awkwardly brushed aside my bangs...not that it did much considering they fell right back in place. “Well...it's late, so I should probably head to bed now. Goodnight, Anabell.” My voice trailed off and I smiled dumbly before I turned to make my way back to my room.
I was almost to my door when I heard an estranged “wait” from Anabell. Curious, I turned around only to be forcefully knocked to the ground. The back of my head slammed against the floor, making my vision snap to black temporarily. My spine dug into the hardwood floor beneath me, making my bones ache painfully.
There was a warm and pleasant weight above me, and when my vision returned I could make out Anabell’s form above me. Flushing, my eyes went wide from the severity of the situation. I assumed that Anabell had tripped over something, making her fall into me. Which, in turn, made us fall to the floor. With her on top of me. Our bodies were pressed flush together, and for a few moments I couldn't breathe. I could feel everything. From the heat of her body, to her legs with which were tangled in my own. To the way her breasts were trapped between us, against my chest.
Heat filled my cheeks as warmth spread through my body, an emotion I quickly deduced as arousal. For the first time in seven thousand years, I was aroused. It was a strange feeling, even stranger now that I felt an uncomfortable pressure in my lower abdomen.
That's when I began panicking from the realization. Could she...feel it? Was that why she was strangely quiet? Oh Father I hope not...I would die from the embarrassment.
“Are you ok, Sky? I'm so sorry, I tripped on my own feet. I freaking hate how clumsy I can be, and the dark doesn't help.” She lowered her voice. “I didn't hurt you, did I?”
I could hear the underlying worry in her voice, so I forced myself to keep my voice level. “Um...you surprised me more than anything, to be honest. I did blackout for a second though. But I'm ok now, I promise.” I mentally pat myself on the back for keeping my voice steady.
Anabell’s fingers gently grazed the side of my head, making my heart race inside of my chest. “Crap, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to.”
She sounded so upset it nearly killed me...figuratively, of course. I felt like such an idiot for mentioning my temporary blackout. “I'm ok, really. Don't blame yourself.”
Anabell sniffed and looked at me. “Are you sure? ‘Cause I feel so bad.”
I placed a finger against her lips, the softness of them doing wonders to my racing heart. “I'm sure. Now...why did you run after me? Did you have something to tell me?”
Anabell moved away from me so fast she nearly kneed me in the groin. I hissed as she got my hip instead, and she quickly apologized. “Sorry again. It’s...it’s nothing. Goodnight.”
And just like that she was gone, making me wonder if I had imagined the encounter. Until I glanced down and grimaced, confirming that everything indeed had happened. I shakily stood up, hating the uncomfortable pressure in my pajamas, and I could only sigh in relief that she hadn't noticed...or else I would have killed myself to save me the embarrassment.
When I walked back into my room, I froze as I realized that the feeling of foreboding never left, only was temporarily forgotten in an entanglement of arousal. I felt like something bad was going to happen. Worried and slightly sick to my stomach, I searched my room for anything abnormal, only to come up empty. I even glanced out of the window to the street below, my eyes straining to see if I had an uninvited visitor. When I didn't see anyone, I let out a slow breath and climbed into bed. My mind was racing to much for me to concentrate on getting sleep. Instead, I stared intently at the window, my heart racing in my chest from a completely different feeling than earlier.
And even though everything seemed to be in place, I couldn't help but keep my guard up. After last time...I couldn't afford to ignore my gut feeling.