I watched the boys take turns sparring, and tried desperately to stay calm. Freaking out was not my nature, I was pretty laid back most days, but Konai was coming back to tell me..... everything.
I sighed and reached over my shoulder, tugging my ponytail forward. I ran my fingers through the strands, trying to distract myself. My eyes drifted to the ground and I focused on the grass at my feet.
"You know, it's really nice having you here." Nalu plopped down next to me and wiped the sweat off his brow. "It's kinda great that you aren't afraid of us."
His clothes were grass stained and splotched with dirt. He stared at his hand a moment, then wiped the dirt on his jeans. It was Cailan and Dasan's turn to wrestle, and Nalu looked thoroughly tired. He turned to look at me and smiled widely. I had to smile back. He was cute, in a 'little brother' kind of way.
I stared back down at my feet, "To be honest, I was kind of worried at first...."
"Why?" Tin dropped down onto the ground just on the other side of me. He sat up and leaned his back against the log.
"Well, it's not like I knew what to expect. You were all just mythical creatures to me. Make believe stories don't really give a girl a lot to go on."
I smiled and Tin chuckled and looked down. "No, I guess not."
"But it really helps that you guys are totally normal. I wasn't sure what to expect, and this definitely wasn't it. I thought you guys would hate me..."
"Hate you?!?" Miki sounded upset. From across the field I saw Sky's face turn towards us.
I shrugged helplessly. "I thought I would just be this huge interference, or maybe Konai would get into trouble for bringing me here. But you were all so polite and understanding."
Joe was sitting on the other side of Miki and leaned forward, smiling. "It's not like we have a choice, you're Konai's girl. But just so you know, even then, you're still okay with us."
"Why, because you guys can see my aura?" I snorted. "Yay, I'm pretty like a rainbow." I said sarcastically.
The other boys laughed and Miki shook his head. "Only Teddy, Sky and Konai can do that. Joe can a little bit, but that's one of the traits that we don't usually gain until our birthdays."
I looked up at Sky, then peered past Miki to look at Joe. "How can you, if you're not eighteen yet?"
I looked down at Tin when he patted my leg, "When we're seventeen, we've gained most of our heightened senses, but we start to change, get ready for the whole..." He made a wild gesture with his hands, as if he were performing some kind of magic trick, "Oh...wah... eeee.....oooooh!"
Miki laughed, but the other boys rolled their eyes.
He grinned, dropping his hands, "After our birthdays last year, we each gained a... trait. Something singular that the others don't have. So when we're out here together, we can kind of show each other what it's like. Sort of." He picked up a small rock and tossed it at Joe. "Joe trying to explain auras is kind of like listening to a two year old explain quantum physics."
"It's hard to explain, okay?" Joe chucked the rock back, thumping Tin in the shoulder. "Besides, it's not like I can see it all the time, it comes and goes." He got up and walked off towards where Cailan and Dasan were still wrestling.
Tor walked past Tin, thumping him in the leg with his foot. "Smooth, really." But he grinned as he turned and sat down next to Miki.
"He'll get over it," Tin pulled up a piece of grass and blew on it, "He needs to learn to lighten up, or his birthday is going to be one rough ride."
That didn't sound good. "So... it hurts?" I wondered how badly it felt, to go through what all of these boys were going to experience in the next few weeks.
"It's not that unpleasant, but it's not a picnic either." Miki and Tor exchanged a look, and Miki pulled his glasses from the top of his head and slipped them back on.
Tor sighed, kicked his legs out, and crossed them. "We know what's coming, we're trained for it. Everything we haven't learned or experienced yet...... just happens. All at once. But, afterwards..... everything is a lot clearer. Easier to handle. But like I said, we're trained, so don't worry about us." He smiled, but I could tell that it was something that he thought about. All of them did.
"Wait, clearer?" I looked at Miki. "I thought everyone's senses were all maxed out, like super hearing and all that stuff."
Tor laughed, "Well, yes, they are pretty advanced, but nowhere near what they will be." He tugged at one of his braids, "Everyone's senses are very acute. But how to use it, when to use it, and how everything else works, that comes later. Then it's just automatic. Instead of struggling with trying to figure it all out, it becomes natural after our birthday."
"Okay, but that doesn't explain why Miki is wearing glasses."
The boys all looked away, except for Tin. He laughed lightly and shook his head, but said nothing.
"My eyesight is fine, I see better than the rest of the guys." Miki said in a small voice.
"Then why the glasses?" He wore them all the time, so it seemed like a legitimate question.
Nalu leaned over and whispered, "He lives with his three aunts. His elderly aunts."
I frowned, "Uh, okay. What does that have to do with anything?"
Tin laughed out loud, as did Tor. Miki's cheeks turned red. He pushed his glasses back up his nose, "Well, I can see very well..."
"Yes?"
He looked down and fidgeted with one corner of his book, "There are just some things that should never be seen in great detail."
Tor laughed and thumped Miki on the back, nearly sending him sliding off the log. I giggled and tugged him back up to sit by me, "So these are to make your eyesight worse?" I reached up and gently pulled them off his face, then flipped them around and looked through them.
"Ugh!" Everything was fuzzy and distorted, and my eyes started to water just from glancing through them. "Oh Miki, I'm sorry." I blinked and rubbed my eyes.
He actually laughed, "Don't be, my eyesight is pretty advanced, I can see just fine with these on, it just makes things a little less.... detailed." He shivered and made a little gagging sound in the back of his throat, and I laughed again.
I handed the glasses back, "Okay, so what are the rest of you good at?" I looked around at the boys, who were now looking everywhere else, except at me.
"What?" So their senses were pretty advanced, big deal. Konai had already mentioned it, and to me it was fine, I was okay with that.
Miki sighed.
Nalu looked up at him, then shrugged his shoulders, "It's not that big a deal guys, he's telling her today anyways. Either way, she's gonna find out." He squared his shoulders and looked at me. "I can hear everything."
I tilted my head, "Everything? What do you mean?"
Nalu looked out past the trees, "I can hear the stream over there," He pointed down the hill, "I can hear the highway and..."
"The highway? But that's miles away...." I paused and looked at him, his eyes held a hint of... worry? Okay, I was fine with that. He could hear stuff. No big deal.
After a moment he cleared his throat, "I can hear the highway," he glanced at me, "I can hear Konai and Teddy talking."
I looked towards the hill that the two boys had retreated to. It was close by, but... he could hear that?
He smiled and watched me, "I can hear the whole conversation, word for word." He looked over his shoulder and back into the woods, "I can hear everyone in Wapatau."
My mouth fell open, "But....but...." What could I say to THAT? After a moments hesitation, with Nalu's eyes stuck on mine, I coughed. "Wow, I bet that's a distraction."
He laughed. "Well, not all the time, I only hear it when I want to." He patted my hand. "It's just something that helps with guarding the town. A way to check and make sure everyone is safe. If I'm worried about someone, I can listen for their voice, and tell if they're okay. If I heard it all the time, that really would be distracting." He pulled at the edge of one ear, "And even when I'm not listening, I can hear panic and worry in someone's voice, hear them call for help." He smiled at me again, "It hasn't happened yet, but I'm sure it'll come in handy some time." His expression went soft, and he stared off towards the hilltop.
"You jerk!" Tin grabbed Nalu's leg and tossed him back off the log. I gasped and scooted back towards Miki.
Tin looked furious. "Last night I was freaking out about Teddy, and you knew he was okay!" He jumped to the top of the log and glared at Nalu, "Admit it! You listened through the whole thing didn't you?"
Nalu looked away, then pulled himself up slowly, brushing leaves and twigs off his shirt, "Yes, I listened through the whole thing." His eyes were focused on the ground.
"What, you couldn't call one of us? Let us know he was fine?" Tin crossed his arms and I noticed that some of the other boys looked hurt as well.
Nalu rubbed the back of his neck, "And say what? 'It was scary?'" He looked past Tin and back up the hillside, "I could hear Teddy screaming from five miles away, is THAT what you wanted me to say?"
Tin's cheeks drained of color and he backed up, sliding off the log as Nalu stepped forward and sat down again.
"Sorry." Tin's voice was soft and he flicked some dirt off Nalu's jeans. He turned and sat next to him on the log.
Nalu shrugged his shoulders. "It's okay. I could have told you guys he was fine. I was just a little bent out of shape about the whole thing." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, then looked around at the rest of the guys, all of whom looked somewhere between hurt and panicked.
Miki sighed, "And right afterwards, he was totally fine, couldn't even remember how badly it hurt."
Every turned, open mouthed, to stare at Miki.
His cheeks turned pink. "I knew we couldn't be there at the ceremony, that we can't go until after we've turned eighteen. So I kind of... went hiking." He took his glasses off and slid them into his shirt pocket. "I stayed where no one could see me, and waited." He looked at Nalu, "I'm sorry you had to hear all that. It wasn't nearly so bad to watch." But he still looked a bit upset. "Afterwards, he just smiled. It happened so quickly, and went so smoothly. They were all talking about what a great trainer Konai is."
Miki could hear them too? "Wait. I thought Nalu was the one that could hear everything?"
Joe walked over and sat on the ground by Miki's feet, "He is, but Miki can catch projections."
All the boys stopped and stared at me, as though Joe had just said something he shouldn't have.
"Projections?" What the heck was that?
Joe looked around and shook his head, "Doesn't matter guys, she's gonna know anyways." He looked back at me, "The other day, when you felt that static, it was a projection." He propped his elbows on his knee's. "If you ever feel something like static in the air, or feel the hairs raise on the back of your neck, you're probably near a guardian who's trying to talk to another one."
I must have still looked confused, and I turned towards Miki when he tapped my arm. "Let's say a guardian is a hundred miles into the mountains, and he finds someone, like a lost hiker. He can tell someone who's near a ranger station, or someone in town. It's especially helpful if the person is hurt, can't be moved, or can't be left alone." He smiled a small tentative smile at me.
"Okay, but how does that work exactly?" I wanted to understand, but it still didn't make sense to me.
"Being able to project, well it's kind of like talking really loud in your head, you're not really saying anything out loud, but the person you're talking to can hear you, even if they're miles away." Miki tilted his head and watched me for a moment. "We can also send visuals of the area we're in, if we're not exactly sure where we are. A guardian can show another guardian what he's looking at."
"So, you guys can hear each others thoughts, anybody's thoughts, and peek inside their heads, all the time?" I looked around at the boys and tried to keep my tone flat, as though the thought wasn't completely shocking. But it definitely was.
Joe shook his head, "No, not at all. None of us can do that. It has to be projected, loudly and clearly, and only to one specific person." Joe tugged his jacket off and tossed it aside, "Besides, I don't think I'd like to know what half these guys are thinking." He smiled and some of the other boys laughed.
Cailan and Dasan walked up, sweat pouring down their faces. Sky headed towards us too, but stopped before reaching the circle of boys. Cailan collapsed on the ground and looked up at Miki, saying in a serious tone, "It has to be a projection or it's an invasion of privacy."
All the boys laughed at that, and Miki rolled his eyes. "I don't say it like THAT."
Dasan sat on the ground by Joe and smiled, "Yeah, you do. But it's also true, anything else would be eavesdropping." He pulled an apple from his jacket and twisted it in his hand. He looked at me and winked, "Even mythical creatures have a code of ethics." He turned and glanced towards Tin, then shrugged, "Well, most of us do."
All of the boys burst out laughing and Tin tossed a clod of dirt and grass at Dasan. It exploded against his chest and Tor threw his head back and laughed out loud. Tin covered his ears and winced.
"Tin, what's wrong?" I slid forward and looked at him. He shook his head and tilted it to once side, his eyes still closed.
Nalu's face turned sympathetic, "It's true, most of our senses are already exceptional. But Tin's hearing is maxed out, it's even better than mine. Only thing is, it comes and goes, so we never know when its going to bother him."
"Oh Tin, I'm sorry." I reached past Nalu and patted his knee, "Are you okay?"
"WHAT?" He yelled. I jumped back, tripping over Joe, and Tor had to catch me. The boys laughed again, and I blushed as Tor righted me. I sat back down, trying not to be embarrassed.
"So, what traits do the rest of you have?"
Dasan smiled, "Tor's stronger than anyone, he could bench press a building if he wanted to."
I thought he was kidding until Tor's cheeks turned pink. "I'm not THAT strong." He looked at me then looked away. But if he was anything like the others, the comment was probably close to the truth. He crossed his arms and glared at Dasan, "At least I'm not a speed demon." He arched a brow and Dasan laughed.
"Are you fast?" I grinned, wondering how fast he could possibly be.
"The fastest." He smirked.
Tin rolled his eyes, and Dasan tilted his head at me and smiled, "Did you leave anything in Konai's car?"
Konai's car? "Well sure, I left my coat..."
Before I could finish, he was gone. He'd been standing right in front of me, and now, nothing. I looked around the clearing, but he wasn't there. A few of the boys smiled, even Sky looked amused.
I had barely finished scanning the field when there was the faintest whisper of a breeze behind me. I turned, looking over my shoulder, and the boys laughed as Dasan handed me my jacket.
"That was... something." I stared at him as he walked slowly around the log and sat down on the grass. His hair wasn't ruffled, every strand the same as it had looked before, his clothes neatly buttoned, not a single thing out of place. He wasn't even breathing hard.
I would have said something along the lines of 'that's impossible', but knew they would laugh at me, even though the car was at least a fifteen minute hike away. I wasn't sure what the expression on my face was, but Dasan grinned and winked at me. I giggled nervously and looked away. How could I act intimidated by any of them? They were all so easygoing and friendly. I looked back at Dasan and gave him a friendly smile, he grinned and sat back on the grass, propping himself up on one elbow. He looked at Cailan, "Your turn."
Cailan played with his braid for a moment, then frowned, "I'm not even sure what you call it." He looked at me and shrugged, "I can kind of feel how something is. Like the tone?" He stared at the ground for a minute.
"That's okay, just explain the best you can." I smiled encouragingly.
He tilted his head and looked at me, "Have you ever felt something, like good or bad? Like you were walking somewhere, and for no reason at all, you changed directions, not that there was anything blocking your path, but you just, changed your mind? Like, for some reason, maybe that way was the wrong way to go?" He leaned back on his elbows, "I feel that all the time, even towards people." He sighed and flopped back. "This makes no sense."
"Sure it does. Please, go ahead." I sat forward and smiled again.
"Have you ever looked at someone, someone you might not even know, and get the feeling that they were just a nice person?" He tucked his hands behind his head, "I do that all the time, only I don't just think, I know. Sometimes I think the tone of people is just their personality showing through. I know I've looked at someone, a complete stranger, and knew, without a doubt, that they weren't good."
"Like they gave you the creeps?" I offered.
He sat up, "Exactly, it's like I can read into every situation, every person, and tell what part of it, or them, is good or bad. Like what the outcome is going to be. Only it's a deep feeling, like bone deep, and I'm never wrong. Does that make any sense?"
"Sure it does. I've felt that way before. The first time I saw Harriett Brynn, I knew she was nice. Even though everyone else called her the 'ice queen.'" I frowned and picked at a chunk of bark. "She's really sweet, and kind of funny."
He smiled, "Yeah, but that's just girly instinct. And you're totally right, she is very nice, like completely nice. She'd be a really good friend."
Joe nodded, "I never understood that nickname, she's just shy, not mean. And just because she doesn't feel comfortable talking all the time, doesn't mean she's stuck up."
Miki stared at Joe and smiled, "I can catch projections once in a while, but only Joe can actually project his thoughts to where Konai or another guardian can hear them."
Joe looked at Miki and frowned, "Tattle tale."
My mind wandered to a few days ago, to the static in the kitchen. Konai's voice whispered through my mind.
"Sorry, Joe was giving me a better alternative."
I looked at Joe, who immediately looked away. He'd TOLD Konai to take me upstairs and talk to me, so that Konai and I could be alone. So he and Kaida could be alone. I raised an eyebrow and he coughed and looked down. I shook my head in disbelief.
Then there was the static on that first day. I looked up at Sky, who was staring off towards the hillside where Konai and Teddy were. He must have been trying to talk to Konai when we'd first gotten to the edge of the forest that day. But what had been there afterwards? At the end of the day there had been... something.
Then another voice filtered through my thoughts.
{{I watched her interact with them yesterday, it's safe}}
I hadn't really heard anything on the trail, but it had to have been Kip and Puck who'd startled me and Miki that day. Why had they been watching? My stomach suddenly twisted into knots.
"Is there any chance Konai's going to get into trouble for not telling me all of this sooner? I mean, is there some kind of blood pact or something I need to sign so you guys know you're safe with me?" I looked around at the boys, suddenly worried about Konai. The boys laughed, and from what I could see, it looked as though Sky rolled his eyes.
Dasan leaned forward, smiling evilly. "Give me your hand."
I reacted automatically, leaning forward, and held my hand out, palm up. He pulled a knife from his back pocket, but I didn't flinch. He flicked the blade open. "Do you solemnly swear that you will never tell anyone about us, about everything you learn here, and the secrets we will share?" He pointed the tip of the blade at the palm of my hand.
"Yes." I'd do anything to make them feel better about my being there.
I closed my eyes, expecting a stab of pain, something. After a moment I opened my eyes. Dasan was leaning back, pealing his apple. He smirked and raised his eyebrow. "What? I'm hungry." He slid a bite into his mouth and grinned. All of the boys started laughing, and I could swear Sky's lip twitched.
"Oh you jerk!" I shot forward and tackled Dasan. He tossed the knife away just before I landed on top of him. I tried not to smile, but it was hard not to, and he laughed as I pounded on his chest. He didn't even bother to protect himself, he just laid there and laughed as I thumped on him.
"Um, isn't anyone going to do something." Tor sounded indifferent.
"Why? It's entertaining. I'd like to see her hurt him." Tin sounded like he was smiling.
At that, I sat up. Dasan chuckled again. "I was only teasing Andrea, none of us would ever do anything to hurt you."
But I still felt bad, I shouldn't have tackled him. "I'm sorry Dasan, I didn't hurt you did I?" I stood and helped him to his feet.
"No, not at all." He grinned.
"Aw, bummer." Tin crossed his arms and pretended to pout.
"Careful Tin, you might be the one I tackle next." I gave him a gentle shove as I walked back, and he laughed. I turned and sat down on the log, and Dasan gave me a thumbs up. I smiled, of course he'd want me to tackle Tin.
I shook my head, "You know, I was afraid you guys were going to be scary, but you're all just so normal. Other than all the obvious guardian stuff, it's nice to know you're all just a bunch of regular guys." I straightened my ponytail and tucked some loose strands back into place, "You're even kind of sweet and adorable when you try."
I was surprised when all of them suddenly looked embarrassed. I grinned, "What?"
There was a mumbled chorus of, "Nothing." But I knew I'd hit a soft spot. They really were a bunch of sweet guys.
"So, is there anything else any of you can do?" I smiled and looked around at the group of boys, who still looked a bit flustered.
Miki ran his fingers through his hair, "Well, not really, even though there's a lot more that a guardian can do." He looked around at the guys then back at me, "But maybe that's a conversation better left between you and Konai." He smiled gently.
"That's okay, I can understand that." And so far, nothing was too weird or too strange for me to deal with. Sure, a lot of it was kind of mind boggling, but I didn't need to know how everything worked.
He smiled, "Konai's really lucky." There was a murmur of agreement from the other boys.
I blushed and looked down, "Thanks."
We sat in silence for a while, then Cailan sighed, "I can't wait to meet my manak amkara."
I turned and looked over to the ground where he was laying, "I don't recognize that word, what does it mean?"
He rolled to look at me, "It's something that just happens, well, if you're a guardian. Technically it means the person that's our other half, our 'divine match'. The person that's meant to be ours." He rolled back and looked up at the sky, "There's only one person that fits us. It can happen quickly, or take years. But when it happens, it's a wonderful thing."
Miki shifted his book under his arm. "Yeah, most people worry whether or not they're with the right person, or if they are where they're meant to be in life. With a manak amkara, it's just obvious." He sounded anxious.
"You mean they're like a soul mate?"
Tor looked over at me, "Yeah, something like that." His cheeks turned a rosy color and he looked away.
"Why do you seem so excited about finding your...." I couldn't remember how to say it.
Tin laughed, "Manak-Amkara."
"Yeah, why do you seem excited about finding your soul mate? You've never acted interested in girls before. I've never even seen any of you hang out with any girls from school." I'd never even seen them talk to any girls, other than when Harriett talked to Little Joe.
Dasan frowned, "Well of course not, we wouldn't want to."
"Huh? Why not?" What was wrong with dating a girl from school? Konai was dating me. If it was about the girls needing to be tribal or something, there were plenty of them at school too.
He looked as though he were choosing his words carefully, "There is only one manak amkara for each guardian, and no one else. Once we find ours, that is it for us, there couldn't be anyone else. They are our perfect fit."
"I still don't understand, why not date a girl from school?"
Tor sighed, "Only a guardian can find his soul mate." He picked up a stick and tossed it to the side, "None of us can find ours, at least not yet. But afterwards, if we meet them, we'll know they're meant for us."
"So... you never dated in school, because you couldn't be sure if she was the right girl for you?"
Miki nodded, "Like Cailan said, it could happen in a day, or after a few decades. No one knows for sure when they'll meet their manak amkara. But if any of us dated a girl in school, we'd just have to dump her when we found ours." He tilted his head towards me, "Of course you know all about this, you have to, you're dating Konai."
It felt like the bottom of my stomach fell out. "No." I swallowed hard as my insides started to bunch and twist. "He never mentioned that." I stood up slowly, I suddenly wanted to leave.
Miki looked nervous.
"I think we've said too much." Nalu stood, his face full of concern, and took a step towards me, but I turned and backed away. Even Sky looked upset.
"No, you didn't say too much, he was going to get around to telling me." Sure he was. I could just hear the conversation. 'Oh, by the way, you're just my entertainment until the real thing comes along.'
I took another step back, away from the boys, but now all of them were standing.
"What's going on?"
I turned and watched as Konai and Teddy crossed the field towards us. No. I couldn't deal with this. Not right now, and not in front of all of them.
I hopped over the log and started into the woods.
"Andrea! Where are you going?" Konai sounded worried.
"I'm sorry, I think...." Tor stuttered.
"...we talk to much." Miki grumbled. And it sounded as though all of them were following after me now.
I picked up my pace, even knowing Dasan could catch me if he wanted to. So could Konai and Teddy.
"Explain." Was Konai's terse reply. But all of the boys just stuttered and mumbled randomly.
I stopped and spun around, giving him a murderous look.
"They don't have to explain anything, YOU don't have to explain anything. The boys told me all about it." I snarled.
I turned back around and took off, not really knowing where I was going, and too angry to care.
Nalu's voice shook, "Um, boss... we made a mistake."
"About WHAT?" His voice boomed through the trees and I stumbled. Not wanting to wait for their answer, I jumped up and started through the brush and over the rocks again.
"Manak Amkara's." The fact that Sky had spoken shocked me, and I glanced backwards. A moment later I tripped on a low branch and fell into a pile of fallen leaves.
I laid there for a moment, trying to clear my thoughts, when a shadow fell over me. Konai leaned down and held out his hand. I shoved it away, "I don't need your help." I scooted around a wall of rocks and dirt, then stood, glaring at him.
He looked hurt, and a bit angry. "I.... I thought you'd be happy."
"Happy?" My voice broke, embarrassing me, "When were you planning on dumping me?" I stepped to the side, avoiding him, "When? When you got bored, or were you just going to drag this out until you met your manak amkara?"
He and the other boys stopped moving towards me and froze. He shook his head, "You don't understand." He tried to walk around the wall towards me, but I turned and walked the other way. The expression on his face varied back and forth between confused, and angry.
"Yes, I do understand." I tried to walk past a tree that was blocking my way, my coat got snagged on a branch, and it felt like the tree yanked me back. I tore off my coat and glared, eyes burning, at Konai. I slid against the huge rock wall, trying to keep my distance. Leaves and twigs brushed against my back.
My throat felt tight, like I couldn't breath, and I hissed at him, "You know, I really missed something yesterday, when we were at school. You want to know what that was?" I reached over and grabbed a huge clod of dirt off the rock wall. "Do you?"
His eyes narrowed, "No."
I ignored his answer. "You didn't bump into me once yesterday." I tried hard to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall, "I haven't been able to get through a single day of school without you trying to knock me down, and yesterday... nothing. I really missed that."
He glared and his cheeks turned a mottled red, "It's not what you think!"
"It's not?! You would spend every spare minute of the day trying to knock me down. You'd bump into me around every corner, and you always looked pretty pleased with yourself whenever you did." The dirt clod crumbled in my hand and I felt the first tear fall. "Come on Konai, why save your mean streak for later, and just rip my heart out now."
He stood, eerily still. "No."
Anger welled up and overflowed, and I reached back for another dirt clod, grabbed the biggest one, and threw it at him, "You jerk!"
He stepped out of the way, and a few of the boys stepped closer, looking upset. I picked up another clod, "Are they going to attack me?"
The boys paused, looking a bit confused. Konai glanced over his shoulder, then back at me, "Not if they value keeping all of their body parts."
Each of the boys took a small step back and put their hands behind their backs.
"How could you do that to me? Make me feel important..." My voice broke again and I launched the clod at him. He didn't move and it broke across his chest, "...make me think that you needed me." I spun around and grabbed another chunk of dirt off the rock wall, "How could you do that?" I threw the second clod, only it stopped halfway to him and fell straight to the ground.
What a dirty guardian trick.
I glared at him and spun around, reaching for another clump of dirt. But the rock wall was bare. No dirt, no grass, no leaves. Nothing. I stared at the wall in shock. It had been covered with plants and rocks, now there was nothing. Not even a fleck of dirt. I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly. Okay, this was just another guardian thing. No big deal. I was not afraid of him... any of them.
I turned around and faced him as he walked towards me, his hands up in surrender. "Let me explain..."
"No, you have nothing to say to me." I stomped past him and he threw out his arm and blocked my path. I ducked quickly and spun, taking a battle stance.
"Let me leave."
A cold breeze filtered through the trees, and I could see a low fog setting in. It slid around the bottoms of the trees and filled in the low area we were all standing in.
Great, more bad weather.
The fog crept around us until it was impossible to see the ground at all, and it started to rise, making everything look dream-like. Some of the boys faded from view.
Konai sighed and held out a hand, "You can't leave, not until you listen to me." His voice wasn't demanding or angry. But I wasn't in the mood to talk anymore.
I mimicked his earlier tone, "No."
Then I lunged for him.
He spun and blocked me, and I turned quickly away. "Andrea...." His tone was off, he sounded almost.. amused.
Jerk.
I dipped down and spun out, trying to clip his legs and make him fall. He jumped away and disappeared. For a moment I thought he was laying on the ground, hiding in the fog. I couldn't see him anywhere. The fog got denser and I took the opportunity, and turned to run.
But he was there, swinging around to grab me.
Spinning, I moved out of his reach. He slid past me and disappeared. A moment later he was jumping at my back, and I dipped low and spun again, darting to the side as his arm shot out again. "Leave me alone!"
The fog was so thick I couldn't see anything. I turned around again and again, but saw nothing. No path, no boys, nothing. Fine, I'll just run.
I braced myself for a good fall, knowing that I was probably only going to get a few feet away before a branch or tree stopped me, but I didn't want to be here anymore.
I took a deep breath and darted forward, but Konai's arm shot out in front of me. I jumped back, but my arm flew forward, and he grabbed my arm and spun, throwing me down on the ground. I rolled and had to throw my arms back to catch myself as I hit the ground. I expected a harsh impact, the cold earth ready to do damage as I slammed into it, but the ground gave way, acting like cushion. I slid forward and sat at the edge of a hill.
The fog billowed around me and then started to dissipate. I looked up at him, shocked. "You can't do that!"
"Why not?" His tone was acidic.
I wasn't sure, and my mind raced for any reason. "You aren't allowed to hurt humans." I snapped, then rolled a bit, dusting my hands off on my jeans, finally able to see where I was sitting.
He crossed his arms, "Are you hurt?" His tone was cold. Unfeeling.
Yes, yes I was hurt. It felt like my heart was breaking.
"NO." I growled, unwilling to let him know how much pain he was inflicting on me.
He paced around me then, "Yes, I may have bumped into you every day, but I'd had no other reason to touch you before now."
"What?" I scrubbed my cheeks with the back of my hand.
He exhaled slowly. "Bumping into you was the only way to make up for every time I wanted to touch you, and didn't. When I needed to touch you, and couldn't." He walked around me slowly, "Who was I? Nobody. Just your friends brother, no one important to you." He narrowed his eyes, his lips turning down into a frown. "I had to watch as my sister got to hug and laugh with you. How horrible is it, that I was jealous of my own mother, who got to hug and comfort you when you were sick or hurt?"
I turned, shocked, and watched him walk around me. "I would hurt, every time I saw you with Homer, laughing and joking, walking arm in arm. I couldn't laugh with you, couldn't touch you. I was no one." He looked away, "It was torture, knowing how I felt about you, and knowing I could do nothing about it. I wasn't allowed to, I was nothing to you." He looked back to me, eyes shining. "I wasn't your friend, I was literally, nothing."
My chest hurt, and it felt like my heart had literally stopped beating. "Why... why would it be torture?"
He knelt in front of me, but didn't move to touch me, "You are my manak amkara." He smiled gently, "Everything I felt before was painful, because I couldn't act on it. It was so unlikely that I would be able to have anything to do with you, so I wanted to push you away. I didn't want to feel that way, not until after I was a guardian, because I didn't want to cave in, be with you, then be torn apart if I couldn't have you." He glanced up at Joe, then back at me, "Being in love with someone, and not knowing if she's yours or not, is brutal. And running the risk of losing them forever, is the most painful burden anyone could carry."
He held out his hand, and I grasped it gently, but neither of us moved. "I'm you're manak amkara?" The idea both thrilled and frightened me.
Konai tugged me gently to my feet. "Yes." He smiled and brushed the hair back from my face.
I hesitated for a moment, trying to think. "Then I have a question."
His smile faltered. "Okay....?"
"Why do you love me?" I crossed my arms.
"What?"
The rest of the boys came into view as the last of the fog disappeared. I slid my palms on my jeans, cleaning them off, then twisted my fingers together nervously. "You asked me that once, I'm guessing now that you did because you wanted to know that I loved you for you, and not because there was some magical tie between us."
He blushed and looked away, then swallowed hard. "Yes."
"So give me a reason." I dropped my hands to my sides. "Why do you love me?"
He stood and stared at me, looking hurt and a bit confused. If he couldn't.... then what? My heart skipped a beat and I felt my throat tighten again.
"Please Konai, why? Give me a reason." I sighed and looked down, my eyes burning again. "Just one reason."
I felt his hands slide up to my face, and he tilted my head back, until he could look into my eyes. "Why give you one.... when I could give you a thousand?"