Darkness

Chapter 8

I knocked feeling my heart leap with emotion. I did not know how to begin the speech, I did not know what words to use for this, this time, I would be guided by instinct. I would have said the first things that would have crossed my mind and then I would have acted accordingly.
"Hi Selene, are you looking for Ecate?"
"No Medea, really I'm looking for Ares."
I answered embarrassed, lowering my head.
"Oh ... sure, please come in, he's upstairs."
"Thanks so much."
I went up the stairs and found myself in front of his room. I raised my fist to knock but it began to shake. I began to feel my head becoming heavy and my vision clouding, I felt that my body no longer responded to my will. He wanted to run away, leave but I knew that if I did I would regret it for my whole life; so I closed my eyes and did it.
"Forward."
I opened the door in awe of his possible reaction and peeked out to see what he was doing. He was lying on the bed with his cell phone in his hand, not having initially noticed my presence. When he noticed me he jumped to his feet and looked at me with those wide-open blue eyes of his.
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk with you."
"About what?"
"Of what you feel. If you do not love me I will go away and I will not ask you again but if you feel something for me I ask you to try, after all it is better to suffer now and to know that you have at least tried than to suffer tomorrow at the thought of not having done it today, right? "
He stared at me, letting us be enveloped by a deadly silence, my heart pounded with emotion, frightened by his possible answer.
"Please say something."
I begged, closing my eyes again and nervously biting my lower lip, only hearing the beating of my heart. He walked away from me to go to the window, running a hand over his raven hair.
"What you ask of me is not easy."
"I know. Nothing is easy but nothing is impossible when you have done it. I'm not asking you to succeed but at least to try. "
After another minute of suffocating silence he broke into the cold air that was created of him.
"Let's try."
My mouth dropped open in amazement at the response. I never expected him to say yes; after all he is older than me, more popular than me, funnier than me. I never wanted to delude myself but now I would try, what did I have to lose? I had everything to gain.
"Really?"
"Yes."
I walked up to him and put a shaky hand on his face, he wrapped his arms around my waist and joined my body with his. These came together perfectly like two pieces that had been lost and then found which together form an ideal puzzle. Our bodies were shaking with emotion and our faces were a few centimeters away, I felt his warm breath caressing my skin, causing an even stronger tremor. If they had asked me how I would have imagined the first kiss I would not have described it like this, I could never have dreamed so much, the reality was much more superior than the dream, it was more suggestive than any desire I could express. We closed our eyes for a moment, ready to savor the flavor of the other when the door to his room was thrown open. We instantly broke away, turning our attention to the person entering.
"Ares, you mus... Selene did I ... by any chance interrupt something?"
"But imagine sister, you always come at the most opportune moments."
Ares spat out acid, glaring at Ecate. She reciprocated with a guilty, pained look.
"But no don't worry Ecate if you have to talk to Ares I can also go."
"No, don't worry ... you know everything."
He replied making my eye move by moving his brother and sitting on his bed. He rolled his eyes and leaned his shoulder against the wall, crossing his arms.
"We feel! What's up?"
"Oh yeah ... I almost forgot, I got a letter from the Council."
"Advice? What advice? "
"It is a sort of institutional body that governs our world, it is made up of thirty elderly people chosen from the most prestigious families. He maintains order and entrusts the most serious cases to the Court which condemns him to exile, the loss of powers or even the death sentence, but this sentence is not issued very often. "
"Oh and why would they have written to you?"
He sighed exchanging a knowing look with his brother.
"Did you see the man from the other day?"
"Yup..."
"Well, well ... we reported him to the Council but he managed to get away with it. His family is one of the most powerful and his grandfather is part of the court so he came out clean, so we had to run away. "
"But that's not fair."
"I know but... unfortunately it is. Well let's see what they want. "
He opened the letter and began reading the contents. She put her hand to her mouth and I dropped the piece of paper, Ares walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder in concern.
"Ecate, what's going on?"
"I want to review our case and that of Ascanio."
"Sorry but who is Asc ...?"
"So we should show up there."
Ares interrupted me, not paying attention to my words.
"Yes I give the news to mom."
"How soon?"
"A week."
He escaped downstairs leaving us alone again. I broke the embarrassment that was being created by breaking the heavy air.
"Well ... then ... I would go, I think it's late."
"Yes it's true, it's almost 11 am"
"Oh my god, my parents realize I'm dead. I'll see you..."
"...tomorrow."
"Yeah uh ... goodnight then."
I walked over to him and gently kissed his cheek and then left. I walked slowly as I returned, wishing that tomorrow would come as soon as possible. I walked around imagining all the things we could do the next day. When I went back into the room the light came on and I turned around and I saw my parents and my sister at the door. My mother looked at me fiercely with her arms crossed over her chest in her chenille robe.
I walked over to him and gently kissed his cheek and then left. I walked slowly as I returned, wishing that tomorrow would come as soon as possible. I walked around imagining all the things we could do the next day. When I went back into the room the light came on and I turned around and I saw my parents and my sister at the door. My mother looked at me fiercely with her arms crossed over her chest in her chenille robe.
"Where did you go Selene ..."
"I..."
"... At 11pm, coming out the window like a thief, huh? What have you done?"
"I went to a friend ..."
"Mom didn't respect the curfew and went out without your consent."
Marika immediately intervened, sinking the knife into the wound; I rolled my eyes irritably, obviously wasted no time in embodying the perfect daughter when she is not at all.
"I didn't look up to heaven you." He scolded me by pointing his finger at me. "And you're right Marika and that's why she won't be out for two days."
"Thing? No. Dad ... "
"I'm sorry but this time you exaggerated Selene."
"But I..."
"No excuses, go to sleep that tomorrow we have to pick up Geneva at the airport."
They all left the room and I collapsed on the bed.
"I'm sorry Selene but you'll have to stay on the nail."
"Of course you did the spy, right?"
"I? But no honey, I was just worried about you. Night night."
He said with a mock sorry air.
I picked up the phone and wrote to Ecade, seeking some comfort from her at least but unfortunately she didn't answer me. I tried to write to Ares but the trembling hand wouldn't let me. I rested my head on the pillow with the phone still gripped in my fingers. Tomorrow I could go to Ares and spend some time with him, to see how that strange relationship could evolve. Eventually I fell asleep smiling thinking about that wonderful scent that made it so unique.