Adina's POV
As nightfall dawned upon us, we stopped. Stranger 'Luca' found a cave and tied me to a tree close by. He then went out looking for firewood and supplies for the night. I should ask about the tattoo. I look down at Sophia to make sure she is okay.
"I think you're right," Sophia says, standing beside me, looking back up at me, directly into my eyes. I raise a questioning eyebrow.
"I read your thoughts when you first noticed his name on his wrist. And I read your thoughts now," she explains. "You should ask him about it. It's creating a lot of curiosity in me and I'm definitely not going to ask him. He is way too scary for me. You on the other hand seem to be comfortable with him," she finishes and sits down with her back against the tree.
A familiar feeling of vulnerability creeps into me. The feeling I get everytime a Royal makes a read off of me.
"It's rude to read others thoughts without their permission you know," I say, hating the feeling she has the potential of creating in me.
"I know and I'm sorry. I really can't control it. I wasn't even suppose to be able to read thoughts at my early age. My theory is that a very traumatic day led to an early surfacing of my mind reading powers," she says, wearing a thoughtful face.
Just as I'm about to question her theory, Stranger 'Luca' emerges from the trees.
"We should take shelter in the cave. It's getting dark," he says looking up to the sky, then heading into the cave with a bunch of woods and leaves. A moment later he emerges from the cave and comes to untie me. He leads us into the cave.
Once in the cave, he looks for an adequately sized rock that he can tie my chain to before he ties me to it. He then goes to make a fire.
"You know you can take the chains off. I'm not going anywhere. Sophia won't fly and I don't really know how to get home. And as we know I won't leave Sophia behind," I try to reason, my wrists really itching because of the shackles.
"Nice try," he says with a sarcastic smile as he walks up to me. The fire has been lit. He drops a pile of leaves at my feet and says, "I'm sure you will find this adequate for a nest Bird." And he walks away. I let out a grunt but bend down to make the leaves comfortable for sleeping.
He walks over to the stack of leaves he brought in and picks up a few. He then makes his way to Sophia and lies it down by her feet.
"This isn't adequate for me," she says, clearly uncomfortable with our sleeping arrangements.
"Sorry Princess but there is no castle for you tonight," Stranger Luca tells her after he snickers.
She doesn't question it, just goes down and fixes the leaves to suit herself. Guess she really is afraid of him.
***
Night has fallen and we all sit as close as possible to the fire as the night wind seems to be harsh tonight. I hear the hooting of an owl in the distance, which is almost non-existent because it's covered by the louder cries of the crickets. It's completely silent as we each eat the grub Stranger Luca prepared. It is horrible, but I'm starving. I can feel the silence starting to get to me when thoughts about things that should be buried deep, threaten to surface. I should start a conversation.
Might as well dive into deep waters. It's better than deep, haunting thoughts, "So what's your story… Luca?" I ask with a smirk. I watch his reaction carefully. He stops eating at once, but it only lasts a moment then he starts eating again.
"What are we? Friends?," he asks between bites, not once looking up to catch my gaze or smirk. I frown. I need to push buttons harder.
"Oh come on. We may not be friends but we are travel buddies. Like it or not. I heard about the tradition of the tattoo, just didn't believe it. I mean why give away your given name. Something that's such a huge part of you. I mean what does your mother have to say? Is she pro…," I get cut off when he drops his food and stomps over to me.
"Don't ever mention my mother. Keep her name out of your filthy Easterner mouth," he says angrily and I visibly lean back because of the fear his words stuck into me. His eyes soften and pain crosses it immediately. He backs away and goes to sit on his place.
Okay mother. A soar topic. I saw the pain that it brought. A pain I knew all too well. He lost her. He lost his mother and he was obviously very fond of her. I know how it feels to lose someone close to your heart. I loved my grandmother the most and the day she was taken from me daunts me still.
"You shouldn't have chosen Luca. You should have kept the name she gave you. It would make you feel like you had a piece of her," I say with understanding in my voice, wishing I could use more comforting words.
"You know nothing Bird," he says looking down.
"Because Luca was the name your mother gave you right," Sophia adds, putting the puzzle pieces together. "You lost her then, huh?" she continues as she puts a reassuring hand on his arm. "I'm sorry for your loss," she mumbles. She is way beyond her years. Luca looks at her and gives her a small sad smile.
Okay now I made the mood gloomy not what I was going for. Lighten it up Adina.
"Impressive was it not?" I ask Luca with a smirk.
"What?," he asks looking directly in my eyes.
"I figured out your name," I state matter-of-factly.
He scoffs," Took you way too long." I frown and he continues, "You should have noticed it way earlier. I mean it was right in the open."
"Oh yeah? Well you don't even know my name. Hell you don't even know anything about me. It may have taken me long but I do know more about you than you do me," I say trying to keep the upper hand I once thought I had.
"Really?," he asks, amusement in his eyes. "I know Sophia here calls you Ang, but that's not your name. Your response to that name is not as immediate as it would be if she called you your real name. I know you were very close to your Nana based on your pendant I saw during our combat. It reads "love Nana" at the back."
My hand instinctively goes to my pendant Nana gave in on my 8th birthday. He continues, "I know she was some sort of inspiration to you, because the pendant seems old so you have had It for a while. Also because of it's inspiring words 'True to Oneself'. I know you have a tattoo at the back of your ear. A wing which probably represents that you a Bird… my bad a 'Flyer'." He ends with a smirk and I feel a certain vulnerability creeping up my neck. One that does when people get to know me too well. I look down.
His expression becomes more serious and he continues, "Based on the understanding tone you used on me and your instinctive movement of your hand to your neck, I'm going to go ahead and say you lost your grandmother and that was the most excruciating pain you have ever felt. Like your heart was ripped out of your chest." His voice was laced with empathy and understanding and when I look up into his eyes it's filled with sadness and sorrow as I'm sure mine are.
I blink rapidly as I start to feel tears building up. I look away and say, "It's getting late. I should go and sleep." I turn around and lay down on my pile of leaves, shutting my tears tightly hoping the pain in them would disappear.
YOU ARE READING
World's Collide
General Fiction"Long ago Earth stood mighty tall among other planets in space, for she had something no one else did. A very unique creation walked her lands. Humans, she called them." "Only she wasn't alone. She had 2 sisters that she forgot about and they too ha...
