Into The Abyss

His Ruin, Her Demise (1)

*unedited*

His name is Zion.

When we were six, I slipped to the pond and fell just like that. Like an apple from a tree, I sank slowly to the abyss.

I tried clawing my way to the top, to the light. Frantically moving my limbs just to keep me afloat, I stared at the dying light until everything became blurry. My arms and legs were getting tired too and my head's becoming muddled. A burst of bubble erupted from my mouth.

Up.

Up.

Up, it goes.

I can almost feel the life leaving me. Just a little bit more...

When I opened my eyes, a pair of brown orbs framed with long lashes was staring back at me.

At that moment I thought: how peculiar this moment is.

He was so close that his warm breath fanned my face, waking me from my stupor. Etiquette dictates that men shouldn't be too intimate with women lest they attract a scandal. But the position we're in now seems to be asking for it.

I wonder how my father will react if he ever learns that his favorite daughter has been on close encounter with some stranger? Will he go on a rampage and look for the boy who took reckless and careless advances to his young daughter?

With those thoughts flying in my mind, I, even if the situation didn't warrant the reaction, laughed.

Yes, I laughed...or the more specific term would be I giggled.

The boy, clearly shocked, was frozen on spot. Here he was lying on top of me, dripping wet, but instead of getting a beating from me, I was laughing at him. Though I wasn't making fun of him, I was just entertained of the possibilities this chance encounter would result in.

Pushing him lightly off my body, I wiped the smirk off my face and patted his hair. His puzzled face was priceless, as if he was a puppy at lost of what to do. I gave him a sincere smile, and in turn got one from him too. Then he patted my hand which was placed on his head. I laughed because it was so amusing to see him trying to keep up with my hilarity.

Three days later, I accepted him as my friend.

As it turns out, his father was my father's right-hand man. Like us, they were friends too and even treated each other as family. Every day in his free time, Zion would visit our house and play with me, or rather I play him. Zion can be quite gullible and innocent and as a playful child, I used to play pranks on him.

There's this one time when we went to buy a candy at the markets. The streets were bustling with vitality and people that I become so enamored that I didn't even realize he's gone.

I searched for him and saw his little figure trembling at a corner looking back and forth for me. Sighing in relief, I strode to his side and tugged at his sleeves. Zion, too, was relieved when he saw me and started to tear up.

"Why are you crying? And you call yourself a man, huh!" I teased.

Zion tensed and squared his shoulders. He craned his head back and when he faced me again, the traces of tears were now gone.

When we reached the candy store, a spark of idea came to my head. And when Zion wasn't looking, I sneaked out and this time left him intentionally.

Will he cry this time?, I thought to myself as I went back to the residence. I was heavily scolded that night. Father said that the Defense Minister's household was in a ruckus when he visited. He said that their Young Master was missing.