Hidden in the Rubble [Book One]

Chapter 8: Grey Skin, Golden Heart

Chapter 8

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Grey Skin, Golden Heart

It was approximately 30 minutes after their talk, and Lettvind was back in the dressing room. Ari was on her bed, drifting off into a deep sleep. He wished he could have eaten more than he did, for his stomach felt like it was about ready to devour itself. He sat in the far corner of the room, occupying himself with a piece of lace that he found.

Every once in a while, he would moan our her name, waiting to see if she would respond. Pretty soon, the hunger turned into an aching want, a need. He lay there, groaning on the dressing room floor. Not only was he hungry, but he was overheating. At one point, he decided to take off his breastplate. Apparently, that did not shield him from the heat. Soon, he found himself spread out on the floor, shirtless. He fanned himself with his mask, savoring each cool breeze that hit him.

Then, he unbelievably took off his black headgear that wrapped around half of his exposed torso. On the inside of each long arm that clung it to his body was tubelike needles. When the headgear was worn, the needles would be pushed through the skin, regulating the oxygen he receives. It was vital to wear them in atmospheres majorly different than the the poisonous Svartalfheim atmosphere, such as Muspalheim and Vanaheim. If they were not worn under such conditions, it could result in horrible health, or perhaps death.

At first, he struggled to breath, finding it hard to gather oxygen in the thin air of Jotunheim. Sadly, the pressure got to him, and nosebleeds started occurring. Lettvind knew that he would get used to the atmosphere soon if not now. He did nothing more than wipe the blood off on his dangling sleeve, not caring for the cloth. I have to find a way out, this hunger and heat is driving me mad, he thought.

He headed for the door, sweat pouring down his messy braids. He banged on the door, his weak voice screaming her name as loud as his lungs would allow. He tried the doorknob; it was unlocked.

Thank the gods! thought Lettvind. He stumbled out the door, the burst of cold stinging his sweaty flesh. The first thing he ran for was the leftover food, still scrambled on the stone floor. He didn't care what he shoved in his mouth, as long as it was edible. The faerie blood dripped down his chin while he slurped it up messily. As he finished his meal, the floor was coated in crumbs and the exotic blood.

Thankfully, Ari was still sound asleep on her bed, not a snore to be heard. He once again wiped his mouth and chin with a the cloth of his dangling jumpsuit. Then, he wrapped the hanging clothes around his waist. At first, he lay on the ground, thankful for Ari making the mistake of not locking the door. Then, he realized that the floor had gotten too cold. Lettvind moved himself to Ari's bed, laying down on the soft sheets. He once again cuddled behind her, brushing his hands through her salmon hair.

She was too deep in her sleep to notice him. He slid his hands onto her two, magnificent, pointed horns. They were brown in color, something that matched her dress and slippers. His hands rubbed them, feeling their smooth, shell-like outside. They wrapped around her head and ended 3/4 of the way around. From there, they pointed up, reminding him of a backwards tiara. He had a deep desire to wake her and inform her further about his life, who he is, and the secret.

Although Lettvind wanted to, he couldn't. At least, not until Solv and Drepe were there. His stomach filled with nervousness. Would she accept the secret that he had been holding in for years?

"Letty...? Letty! What are you doing outside your room? And in my bed?" Ari noticed, still partly asleep. She smacked his hands off her left horn, where he was holding, feeling its smooth texture. "Get off of me! You're disgusting; you're pressed up against me, shirtless, and feeling my horns, which is incredibly rude in Jotun society. Plus, you have some blood dripping down your nose. What's wrong with you?"

"It was boiling in there, and I got hungry. I barely ate when I was having that conversation with you, so don't expect me to be full. I'm fine now, so don't worry."

"Explain why you thought my horns were so interesting."

"I've never seen a creature with such brilliant horns. Jotuns are just interesting in my eyes. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"No, not at all. Ugh, sorry, I suppose I should get up again."

"Dont be sorry, Ari; you did nothing wrong."

The two 16 year olds stared into each other's eyes, wonder emitting from both. Lettvind kindly smiled, showing his pearl-white teeth. Grinning, he said, "I really believe you'll like Solv. Yes, he's a Dark Elf, but he's a kindhearted Dark Elf. I've known him for about 7 years now, so he's practically my best friend."

"Can we reach out to them now? If we do it any later, Kjer will notice two Drow sneaking into his coronation, so we have to make sure that won't happen."

"I guess so, but if we contact them now, they'll show up tomorrow."

Reaching into his pocket, which she didn't even know existed on the black jumpsuit, he pulled out an outlandish device. It clicked a few times, then peeled open into some sort of phone. It made all kinds of electronic noises, none of which she favored hearing. Each word on the screen glowed in a greenish color, but the words were nothing but unidentifiable Drowish. Soon enough, there were icons, some of which she laughed at. Then, she noticed that they were apps. Ari recognized one, "You have Instagram?" He nodded slowly, his face stern. Lettvind swiped into an application on the screen, but to her, the objects on the screen seemed like nonsense. Specific words were now outlined in a ghostly blue. Contacts, she noticed.

He clicked on one, illuminating a square around the symbols. He used his thumbs to quickly type something in a box underneath the contact, and the same thing with another contact. Ari watched in amazement as each weird letter was sent into the device's glowing box. Soon, he looked up, his eyes shining sky blue.

She took the time to stare back, amazement flourishing within her. Then, she let some of her feelings flow out, "How is it that your eyes are so brilliant? I've never seen anything like them." Lettvind blushed, his face turning redder than she expected through his pale, grey skin. He decided not to answer, but just slightly yet politely shrug. "It is done," he said, changing the short subject.

She refused to change the subject. "Letty, you're a freak of nature. Not just you're look, but your gadgets and stuff. Yet, your looks still amaze me. Not that I like you or anything. After all, we're just friends," Ari laughed. "Thank you, princess, but you also amaze me to no limits. Your horns are so unique... And your eyes remind me of rubies; spectacular and glittering with hope," he complimented back, showing a friendly smile. They both shyly giggled, still staring at each other.

Then, Lettvind held out his arms, offering something that Ari did not expect. Although she didn't think about it, she smiled. "Friend hug?" the Dark Elf offered. Ari leaned in, stretching her arms around his lean body.

Then, they hugged, as none of their kinds ever had before.