The Marks that Define Them

Chapter 8:

Chapter 8

The unseen and unnoticed | »åø«|

I sat on the cliff looking off at the distance and the below. The more I stare the less my fear conquers me. So I stare and stare watching the ant-sized people below me walk around in the streets. The wind, powerful with grace sweeps my hair back. Wiping it around with every whorl. I shake me from the inside out leaving chills on the surface of my body. It sends some odd feeling running in my bones. Giving me strength. Each time this happens I'm left an addict suffering from withdrawal of its presence. Closing my eyes I let it control me, physically deep in my body, and invisibly deep within my conscious deep within my soul.

It spins around leaving me where I am. Hiding me away from the people below. My shield, my sand shield. I open my eyes looking down at the sand beneath me. I come to the realization that I in the air. The sand cover my view my view from my surroundings. But I feel eyes. Eyes on me roaming me. Seeing me. That's when my shield lets me down, exposing me to the outside world.

My lover's presence is warm. She knew me. She's like me. Her long bong arm reaches over to hug me from behind. Her hand is cold on my skin. She nestles her face into my chin scratching the tiny pieces of sand that remained on my skin.

"I see you've to practice my love." Her voice is music to my ears. With each word, I can hear her heavy accent drop away to leave a more proper disguise. A safety sounds for her for where we are going. At least for now. I move over to face her the urge to kiss her plump lips. Yet, I resist. We are too out in the open. The others might see. I don't need them to think that I favor any of my lovers more than the rest of them since I would be public about it. Relationships are private. So I resist. It's easy for me to resist.

"It just sneaks up on me. I see you are also practicing my dear." I sense the sadness pool in her eye from the truth of my words. I knew she would be resilient to letting this part of her culture go unseen, kept a secret. But the reason behind my cruel request was to blend into our story. To play a role and be the character in the play I had written for us. For this mission. For us.

I see a raindrop fall from the cloud that is her eye. I grasp on to her face not being able to withstand the storm anymore.

"I know this is hard but in the end. Look at me. You will never forget who you are or where you came from because it is your greatest strength and advantage." The storm clears with some assistance from the sun that is her strength. She walks back to the tent we share knowing I will return later on. Her red hair sways behind her like roses with a whole lot of thorns. Just like her. She was my rose. Her heart, a fiery mess of petals guarded by a thick cluster of thorns. Rarely giving access to the garden that was her.

I laid back watching the day fade into beautiful darkness. The stars are everything I need. They represented power to us. I knew power. Grew up with it before she was what she was meant to be. My sister, her marriage was the best advantage for us. But only if she didn't know would it work in our favor. If only. She was one of the keys that unlocked the various puzzles in our pathway. But this key could be hard to get and turn.

If only.

I get up from the cold earth to walk back to my tent. Pushing back the colored flaps that acted as doors. Looking in I see all my lovers laying on the bed. Leaving an empty spot for me in the middle. Turning away from them I grab my map that laid on the table nearest me. I crawl into bed, planning our next travel from the inside of a big one. I study the possible pathways and the gains that would grow from each. I heard the gentle knock on the pillar supporting our tent.

The purpose of the knock was to get my attention but not that of my lover's. I left the bed to see who it was. Waiting for me outside was Anyxa, one person I was considering to be my second in charge, but I didn't know if he trusted this or if I trusted him. But he was determined, just in what.