They Are Not Human

Chapter 5

I awoke that next morning to the sun peeking through the curtains. I was well rested, and ready to conquer a new day. I glanced over at Jakove in the bed next to me, and noticed he was still fast asleep. His lips were slightly parted, and his face seemed sad.

What has the world done to you Jakove? Although we got to know a little bit about each other last night, I still had so many questions about him and his life. My heart felt heavy for this boy I barely knew, and I didn't understand exactly why. He was irritating, but also charming in a weird way. He made me feel things I never felt towards another human before. My walls were beginning to crumble as I let him closer and closer to my heart. Was Jakove making me soft towards the world?

No.  I wasn't willing accept that.  Even if I did have feelings towards Jakove I could never let it happen. I was damaged goods after all, and a hard person to love. He deserved someone who could care for him the way that he deserves. Besides love lead to hurt and I wasn't willing to get hurt again.

I walk outside to soak up some sunlight.  My body needed the vitamin D. The air was cold against my face, and I could see my breath in the morning sunlight. My thoughts were surprisingly quiet this morning, despite everything that had happened to me. It was strange, I didn't feel happy, but I didn't feel exactly sad either.

I couldn't help but wonder how drastically my life was going to change once I rescued my dad? Would we return home, or would we decide to move somewhere else and start a new life? And what about Jakove? Would we part ways once my mission was complete? The thought saddened me, because he had become such a huge part of my life so far, despite us barley knowing each other. I let out a big sigh and watched as the hot air from my mouth vaporized into the cold morning air.

After a while of sitting out there, letting the cool air cleanse my thoughts, I go back inside. Quietly closing the door, I glance over at Jakove and notice he is still asleep. His expression had changed, and he seemed to be stirring around a lot. I could hear him mumbling something, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. After a few moments of him mumbling, he began to yell, and frantically thrash around.

"Jakove!" I yell, placing my hand on his face light brushing it with my fingertips.

Suddenly his eyes fly open; his expression was scared and confused.

"You're okay" I say, still brushing his face with my fingers trying to comfort him. "It was just a bad dream."

He squints his eyes and wrinkles his brow in confusion. "Zia, you're okay," he asks?

"Yes" I smile.  I didn't understand why he was asking, but I was glad I could offer him some comfort.  

He smiles back at me and grabs my hand that I was stroking his face with. He brings my hand up to his lips and places a light feathery kiss in the palm of it. The gesture makes me blush.

Jakove slowly sits up and runs his hands through his hair; trying to calm the tangled mess. I sit in the empty spot next to him and rub his back. "Do you want to talk about it" I ask?

He looks at me, his icy blue eyes piercing right through me. "No" he finally says, his face somber.

"Okay, well if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

"I know and thank you for that". He replies giving me that Jakove smile that I have learned to love so much.

***

We leave our hotel late that morning and stop by one of the local markets to stock up on some supplies.  The market was filled with a large selection of items, making it easy to shop for the essentials that we might need. Jakove of course paid for everything, making me wonder how he always had money? I wanted to bring it up but felt that it was too personal of a question. My dad always told me that a man's finances were his business. Still, it was weird that a person without a job had any sort of income coming in.