EMARA
Lilly laughs, taking a deep breath before filling her mouth with air again, puffing out her cheeks. Jace giggles, grabbing the sides of her face and squishing it to make the air whoosh out and create a raspberry noise. He pats her cheeks after the air is gone, wanting her to fill them up so he can do it again.
I chuckle to myself, take Bear's leash, and stick it on the side of the cart. His tail wags as I run my hand down his back. "Good boy, let's go home."
Something feels off. I turn to look over my shoulder and search the crowds of people. I find a pair of gray-brown eyes and graying slicked hair. Morrigan.
I do not stay to stare. I didn't need to bring attention to it, and I do not want my attention to be misconstrued. Jace makes a grabbing motion for me, and I take him from Lilly's arms. Taeric looks like he is trying to figure something out. He glances over his shoulder in the direction of where Morrigan is, but he is gone.
I walk in silence beside Taeric, simply enjoying the nice weather. It is the last stretch of heat before it cools down for fall and not long after that snow, which means some good ol' Colorado blizzards. I will have to prepare the house for that too. Taeric watches the girls closely as they run up ahead. I study him as he pulls the cart. His silence wasn't easy at first, and I was worried I talked too much, but he genuinely seemed to enjoy the one-sided conversations. It had become a lot more normal, and I had been picking up on certain things about him without having to talk about it.
There are small things, like food. He likes anything I make, but his favorite is jelly sandwiches. I can also add the honey chocolates we had today to the list. The light blue tinge in his eyes is the biggest giveaway. His eyes are a giveaway for almost anything when it came to him.
The words of the woman who sold them flashed through my mind. Husband. Family. I can't stop the warmth that spreads through me at the thought of that. I also can't stop the embarrassment. Why didn't I say anything to correct her? I just stood there like an idiot and then said 'bye.' Why? I can't deny I had a growing attraction to him, but there was no way he felt the same. And he is sweet and cares because he is kind and because I helped him, so he is returning the favor, not because he feels anything deeper for me. He is only still here because he needs a place to stay until his friends can take him back home... Then that is it. He is gone.
As we walk through the trees, the shiny waters of the lake peek through, teasing us in the heat. The branches bend and twist, hanging lower now that we are going down a less-used path. The musky odor of the lake fills the air. You could blindfold me, and I would know we were close to the lake because of the smell. It got worse towards the end of summer too, but it's also nostalgic and reminds me of the many times my dad took me to the lake during the summer for a little fishing. I scrub my eyes with the palm of my hand, willing the tears to stay away. Why do so many people have to leave?
I look away and cough to get rid of the choked feeling in my throat. The pattern of Taeric's steps lost its rhythm, and I know he noticed my change in emotion. That is another uncanny thing about him. He definitely picked up on things before I did, and it is like he can sense things humans can't with their normal senses. Which, I guess, he isn't human. And that is why he can't stay. I wouldn't want to stay on Earth if I had the chance to leave either...
Jace shifts in my arms, sitting up straighter. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about my dad, that is all. I miss him. I am sure you understand."
His brows furrow, but he nods. I can tell he is battling a few emotions, but I have no idea what they are. His eyes melt into a darker shade of blue, like the moonlight during a storm. Maybe he remembers his own parents. Maybe he is feeling bad for me. Maybe a mix of both.
Jace's little hand comes up to my cheek, and he presses his forehead to mine. He was comforting me. I let out a laugh and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, baby." Jace looks pleased with himself, and my heart melts a little. The color of Taeric's eyes flickers back to a bright blue just as quickly as they had darkened. His face softens as he watches Jace's actions. The look is full of so much tenderness my heart feels like I am melting into a puddle. Or maybe it is just this heat.
Lilly's sigh draws my attention. She is still several feet ahead of us, but her pace is slowing. She wipes her brow. "It is hot." Guess I am not the only one suffering from the heat.
"I know what we can do! We get in the water! Please, please!" Evey jumps up and down.
"Mmm." I look at the sky. It was a little after noon, maybe around 1 pm. This will probably be one of the last times we can have a lake trip before it gets cold. "You know what, sure. But you will have to take baths." I glance at Lilly, but I am more focused on Evey and her reaction.
"Done," Lilly agrees quickly before taking off towards the water. She yanks one shoe off and then pulls down the sock, tucking it inside carefully before doing the same with her other foot.
Evey stands between me and the lake where Lilly is already dipping her toes in. She looks between the water and me tentatively, and I can see the battle behind her eyes. As Lilly wades deeper into the water, Evey gives in. "Wait for me! I wanna play mermaids!" Her shoes fall in a messy pile by the lake shore.
Bear trots over to me as if asking permission to go to the water. I pat his back. "Okay, boy. Go play!" Bear doesn't wait another moment before racing towards the water.
"Pway, boy!" Jace tries to copy me with a clap of his hands.
I let out a short chuckle and pressed a kiss to Jace's head. "Yay! Good job!" I cheer, and he giggles, clapping again. He is talking so well now, and I am thankful. When I first found him, I didn't say more than 'momma,' but now he was copying the girls and me all the time.
Jace sits on the ground as I help him out of his shoes before pulling off my own. "You can just leave the cart there. Everything is sealed, so it shouldn't attract any animals or bugs," I say to Taeric as I bend over to grab Evey's shoes so that I can put them next to everyone else.
He lets me know he heard me with a short nod as he makes his way over to the pile of shoes pulling off his black boots. The red, dirt-caked, high-top converse I have been sporting for the last four years looked like doll shoes next to his boots. They have to be the equivalent of a size 16. Thank goodness his boots are in good condition. Otherwise, he would be walking around barefooted.
My toes sink as the sand slips between my toes. I hold Jace's hand while he waddles over to the lake water that slightly laps towards us. He watches, filled with wonder, and lets go of my hand to reach down and play with it. I smile and sit down next to him. I let out a sigh letting myself relax a little in this comforting place. Taeric sits beside me, and I give him a quick glance.
He grabs his communicator. Honestly, it reminded me of a smartphone. If smartphones could transmit signals across the galaxy... and translate any language, it scanned... and had access to any information from any species in the world.
"Bakura varaks aeui kaakad sukaar imcukkursobra, comokd vrae?"
Before we left stalls, can I ask you why you feel anxious?
I bite my lip, holding back a soft laugh. The device may be way ahead of any technology we have on Earth, but it doesn't exactly work well when it's broken. At least this time, it is only bad grammar. I rub my thumb over the smooth metal. "Not anxious. I just saw someone, and I didn't want to stick around in case they came over."
His brows lower in thought. "Ecuird kkarr okora osaeuir ruika vram vakas. Ekra sra vrubrak aeui vekrad suoqued?"
The computer hums before spitting out the translation. When we met, I smelled the Earth male in your house. Is he the problem you wished to avoid?
"You could smell him?" I raise a brow.
He squints as his head tilts to the side in a half nod, as if saying "sorta."
"Yeah, I guess he is a problem I want to avoid. He is just annoying more than anything. He's never come to my house before, but the day you showed up, he had been there a few hours before. He wanted me to marry him." I blow out a huff of breath. "And I definitely don't want to do that. He isn't exactly good at taking no for an answer, though."
Taeric's eyes squint as his gaze darkens. He looks like he wants to say something. Jace's handful of grainy dirt that is precariously close to his mouth steals my attention before Taeric can voice the thoughts, though. "No, baby, we don't eat sand." I brush his fingers off, trying not to laugh.
Jace looks at the sand. "No, no eating," he copies.
I rub my hand on my shorts to get rid of the dirt, watching Jace as he pushes the lake sand into a pile. Taeric's gaze follows my movements. His posture goes ridged, and he reaches out. His fingers brush the side of my leg right where my scar is, just below my shorts.
My heart skips a beat at the contact, but it disappears with the growing concern on Taeric's face. "Oh, that is old. One of my many rewards as I learned how to hunt and spent my time in the woods." I sit back, resting my weight on my palms behind me. "That one was from some barbed wire I had fallen into." I try to keep my thoughts steady, but the feeling of his finger on my leg still has me feeling warm. "Someone had left out a real janky trap, and I tripped and fell right into it."
His brows pull together in shock, but he also looks impressed.
"I am not the only one with scars here." I sit up enough to reach forward. My fingers hover over a faded silver scar beside his dimple. "What about this one?"
His breath comes out in soft puffs against my palm. A blush stings my cheeks, and I quickly lower my hand. "Troemems. Waora soisrs vesr qesur. Traae verr kesrs ikserr vacom raorm dakamd uirkark omd baos srak bocd." He turns to face me fully, but the move brings him even closer. The translator in his hand flashes as it continues to read his words. "Isek mus imcukkum susoem kcork." I try to keep focused, but all I can think about is that if I moved my hand, our fingers would brush-
"TAERIC!" Evey suddenly shouts.
My gaze shoots up, and I hear my heartbeat in my ears.
"We are playing like mermaids because we aren't by the ocean. Do you want to play with us? You can be the sea- I mean, you can be the lake king!" Evey giggles, jumping up and down.
Taeric smiles playfully, agreeing with a nod as he stands up, joining them in the water. I guess we can finish the conversation later. He glances back at me as if he is thinking the same thing.
"Oh! Emara, you can be the Queen!" Evey continues excitedly.
I smile, trying to brush away whatever... that was. "Oh yeah? And does this Queen have... water powers?!" I say, splashing a huge wave of water at the girls. Only the problem was that Taeric was right beside them. And my aim was off.
Taeric looks down at his drenched shirt and then up at me. There is a mischievous glint in his eyes as they dance with a cerulean blue.
I suck in a breath. "I am so sorr-" the rest of my words are cut off by a splash of water right to my face. Taeric's deep rumbling laughter fills the air, and my heart skips a beat. "Oh, it's so on, Lake King!" I challenge, grabbing Jace off the ground and kicking water in Taeric's direction.
"GET 'EM!" Lilly yells to Evey, splashing water at the both of us, completely drenching me.
I splash back, shielding Jace with my body. He giggles, making a splashing sound as he waves his hands through the air.
Laughter bubbles out of me as Taeric dives in Lilly and Evey's direction. He splashes before scooping them up and flinging each of them over a shoulder, wading into just a bit deeper water.
"Wait, wait! Let me go!" Evey laughs.
Lilly is wiggling, laughing just as hard as she tries in vain to break free. He loosens his grip, and they slip into the water, swimming away as quickly as they can.
"Faster! He will get us!" Evey warns with excitement. "We need to find something to protect us from the water dragon!" she says, changing Taeric's role in the game.
The girls continue to play, getting lost in their game, but Taeric stays planted where he is. He is studying the water, and his gaze moves sharply before he dunks under the water, hands first. Taeric turns towards me, and I stand up curiously. His expression is full of boyish excitement as he wades through the water towards me and when he is close enough, I can see the bright color of his eyes. His hand juts out in my direction once he is close enough, presenting it to me. Something wriggles in his hands, and as it slips, his grip visibly tightens.
"Did you just catch a fish with your bare hands?"
He glances back and the fish and shrugs with a slight nod.
I laugh. "Well, uh-" I honestly have no idea what to do or say. "Uh, thank you? We could have it for lunch instead of going back to the house, but there isn't really enough for all of us...."
Taeric's eyes glimmer as if he has an idea. He holds the fish out to me again, silently urging me to take it. It wriggles as I hold it. What the heck was I supposed to do with this?
Taeric runs back to the water, and I stand there dumbfounded. Jace waddles over, staring at the fish, his little features full of wonder.
"This is a fish, Jace. Do you want to touch it?" I ask with a smile, happy to see him so curious.
Jace nods tentatively. His little fingers are spread wide as he reaches out. As they run over the sandpaper-like scales. His shriek turns to laughter as the fish wriggles again, desperately wanting to be back in the water.
I hear another splash as Taeric dives back under the water. Moments later, he is back with another fish, still full of boyish pride.
I laugh, shaking my head. "I guess I better get a fire going so we can cook these. And we are going to need a few more if you are up to catching them."
A little bit of a longer chapter for you all, hope you enjoyed it!
Reader question: Does anyone else completely talk themself out of someone liking them the same way Emara does? I know I do.
"Those looks don't mean anything, right? He just thinks of me as a friend."
Or (my favorite) "He doesn't think I am cute, he is just talking to me cause he is nice."😀