Meant To Soar

Chapter Eighteen

"Wow.. That was wicked. You never told me you had the power of Command," A voice behind me said. I laughed and looked back. Nathan was perched on the branch of a tree, staring at me with awe plastered across his countenance. He was dripping wet. I remembered him jumping into the water in the clearing previously.

"I never knew I had it," I replied him. I flew over to where he was and sat down beside him on the branch. I hope it was strong enough to bear the weight of us both. "Does every Sykes possess the power of Command?"

Nathan shook his head vigorously, spraying droplets of water everywhere. "No, of course not! Very few have that power.. Only special people do."

"Then how come I have it? In what way am I special?"

Nathan shrugged. "I don't know, Dee. You'll find out, though."

I sighed. "So.."

Nathan looked at me. His blue-green eyes were piercing in the faint glow of the translucent substance on the ground.

As I stared at Nathan, I realized I was freezing. It seemed odd at first to realize that the woods were freezing in the summer, but as I looked at the substance on the ground, I saw cold smoke rising from it. So far, tonight had been weird and full of surprises. I felt drained. I guess that was the disadvantage of using your powers.

Goosebumps rose on my arms. I rubbed them hard, hungry for warmth. "Are you cold?" Nathan asked. I nodded.

Nathan took off his jacket and handed it to me. He seemed to forget that it was drenched with water. "Are y-you.. su-sure?" I asked him, my teeth chattering. He laughed and nodded. I gave him a nod of thanks, too cold to actually mention the words. I put the jacket on, not caring that it was soaked.

Strangely, I felt warmer after putting the wet jacket around me. And then, Nathan moved closer and put his arm around me. I stiffened at first. A guy had never put an arm around me. Other than my Dad, of course. Dad ..The thought of him brought tears to my eyes.

"What's wrong?" Nathan asked. He turned me so that I was facing him. By now, silent tears were cascading down my cheeks in little streams. The coldness did no good whatsoever. It only froze the tears.

"Hey.." Nathan said gently. "What is it?"

I didn't reply. Nathan, who sensed this, pulled me closer to him and held me. I cried onto his jacket. Nathan didn't mind that I was making his jacket wet because it was previously wet, anyway. He just held me, rocking me back and forth and stroking my hair while I sobbed. After what seemed like an eternity of hiccups and sniffles, I pulled away from him. "It's my Dad."

"He was such a great dad.. He always played with me. He was my best friend. No one understood me like he could, not even Mum," I said.

"He would go on occasional trips to overseas.. Probably twice a month, each trip lasting for about a week. Once, he was gone for two weeks. I remember being really worried. I was just seven back then. And then, Mum told me that he.." I trailed off. I swallowed the lump in my throat, refusing to cry again.

"She told me that he died of a car accident," I blurted out.

A shadow crossed over Nathan's face. "Oh my God, Cindy.. I'm so sorry. I never knew," Nath murmured into my hair. The vibration of his words felt good on my scalp.

"We didn't even have a funeral for him.. Mum said his body was way too destroyed to reassemble," I continued, struggling to remain expressionless. My throat was constricting and every breath started to become a challenge. I could only gasp in sorrow, that's what it seemed like. "I don't believe it though," I continued, my voice surprisingly steady. "There's got to be a reason we didn't have a funeral for him. I'm not entirely convinced that he died, either."

Nathan said nothing. He just listened to me. For some reason, the knowledge that someone was there for me, that someone would listen to what I have to say, was comforting.

I hesitated before stretching out my arms toward him, before thinking, 'Dry Nathan.'

Before I knew what was happening, a gust of wind shot out of my fingertips and attacked Nathan. A few minutes later, Nathan was bone- dry. I grinned and leaned back against a branch, feeling drained. "Thanks," Nathan said. "I could get used to that."

What did he mean by that? I looked at him. He only smiled and moved closer to lean on the branch too. We were so close, our cheeks were nearly touching. His skin radiated warmth. He smelt like vanilla.. Each of his details was all that mattered now.

Wait.. Why did I just think that?

Nathan faced me, and for a moment, I stopped breathing. His eyes burnt a hole in mine, that was how intensely he was staring at me. I felt self-conscious. "What?"

Nathan shook his head. "Nothing," He replied, his warm breath fanning my face. He leaned closer. Was that my imagination, or was his head tilting to the side? I felt like I was in a trance.. I could do nothing but stare into his blue-green eyes. I noticed there were flecks of grey in them ..The perfect blend of colors that I never knew could match.

BZZT. Something buzzed. We moved away from each other awkwardly. My DSB appeared in my hand all of a sudden. It was glowing.

WOW.. WAY TO BREAK A MOMENT HUH? WELL MAYBE THERE'LL BE MORE ROMANCE LATER ON.. But maybe not. For me to know and for you to find out :)

I'll update soon, no worries!