Paris' New Hope
Chapter 10: Tekla's Past
Tekla stood there, not the size of a Kwami, but of a teenage girl: Her hair is a long, curvy wave with the same colour as her Kwami Form that stops at her hips, her eyes are the same, she's wearing a light-blue dress with an ocean blue stripe on the sides and is wearing light-blue high-heel shoes. Tom is astonished to see radiant beauty, then collected himself and passes on a cardboard box with the croissants and Tekla gently took it and thanked Mr Dupeng for the delivery before the latter went into his car and drove off back to the bakery.
Tekla looked down at the box and closed the door, bringing it over to the kitchen counter and is just getting the plates, when Marcus stepped out of the bathroom in his PJ's and exclaimed deeply when he saw Tekla's Human Form "Whoa!" Tekla turned around and saw Marcus' eyes staring at her timidly, which she felt flattered about and replied calmly "You had a good shower, Marky?" Marcus just blinked his eyes, standing still in astonishment from Tekla's beauty.
Tekla giggled and placed the plates on the counter before walking towards Marcus and placed her hand on his cheek, saying "You are such a sweet guy, Marky. I wish more girls will go with guys like you, instead of those bad boys." Marcus blinked his eyes again, before he smiled and replied "Well… You are such an amazing girl, Tech. I'd never ask a better girl like you." Tekla looked down, blushing deeply from Marcus' heartfelt compliment, before she looked up again and said "The croissants are here, by the way."
Marcus thanked Tekla and he went over to the kitchen counter and placed the croissants evenly on the plates before he and Tekla went into the living room area and turned on the speakers to hear the song 'Lights Surrounding You' by Evermore play. Marcus and Tekla ate the croissants, exchanging glances at each other as they munched on the croissants; when they finished their meal, Marcus lied back on the couch as Tekla fidgeted towards him and rested her head on his shoulder, which Marcus replied with a small smile and stroking Tekla's hair gently.
Tekla is enjoying the gentle stroking from Marcus, when he suddenly stopped and asked her "Tech? You said I was the only Holder to be kind towards you… does that mean, your previous holders aren't kind?" Tekla widened her eyes briefly, before narrowing them sadly and sighed before replying, sitting up straight "Yes… I'm also not the only Kwami in the world, but I don't want to change the topic here."
Marcus looked at Tekla sympathetically and said "I figured you can talk about it when you're ready." Tekla smiled a little and replied "You are so patient… and yeah. I'm ready to talk about my past now." Marcus gestured Tekla to begin whenever she's ready, when she took a deep breath and exhaled calmly before beginning…
Flashback
"I was born when they first invented the wheel, when the first people were beginning to inhabit the earth. While true they talk in grunts, they slowly started to speak in English; however, I also witnessed the use of bone and rock as weaponry for the first time. My first ever holder is an idealistic woman and she invented pelts for clothing, as well as covering for huts and tanning racks, but the truth is I suggested the idea to her and claimed the idea as hers."
"Many years later, I witnessed the lives and deaths of many people, sometimes with ideas I suggested with my various Holders. I was distraught when, as the centuries go by, with each Holder I've been with, be it a Scientist, an R&D Technician, or even a General, technology had advanced into more lethal and fearful forms."
"The last memories I can recall is with a British Avian Pilot in World War II; we were flying over Paris for a scouting op, when we were shot at by the enemy. My holder had little choice but to eject from the plane; he managed to get to safety, but I wasn't so fortunate. I was separated from her mid-flight and fell in a pile of dirty rags with oil and aviation fuel, when I blacked out."
Flashback Ends
Tekla is teary eyed and closed her eyes, holding her hands together over her mouth and began to cry; Marcus, who paid attention to Tekla's story intently, sympathetically scooted over to her and rubbed her side gently, shushing her calmly. Tekla then buried her face in Marcus' chest and hugged him tight, not wanting to let him go, when Marcus hugged her back and said gently "Tech… You know your ideas had led to countless of deaths, but it wasn't YOUR idea to use them maliciously. You never wanted them to be used in a hostile matter, you just wanted to help in technology, not wanting to hurt anybody."
Tekla sniffed and sobbed a few times, before she raised her head a little and replied "Marky… *sniff!* You… you are such a good guy; I just… I just… don't… wanna… lose you!" She then bawled in tears and buried her face in Marcus' chest, sobbing harder, until Marcus gently stroked her cheeks and kneeled in front of her and said "Tech… look into my eyes." Tekla, despite having tears in her eyes, opened them and looked straight into Marcus' eyes and felt calmer, looking into her crush's sympathetic eyes.
She then sniffed and Marcus gave her his handkerchief, which she gently took and wiped the tears away, before saying "Thank you so much Marky. Even if I did bad things, you wouldn't raise your voice or even scold me; you'd just be polite and tell me reasonably that I'm not at fault." Marcus smiled and then turned around to the stereo and puts on 'Let Your Heart Decide' by Céline Dion before standing up and held out his hand to Tekla, saying "May I have this dance?"
Tekla looked up at Marcus with glistening eyes, then smiled and took his hand before they walked into the empty space and they danced harmoniously to the song, wrapping their arms around each other's neck, with Tekla resting her head on Marcus' shoulder and Marcus on Tekla's. Tekla feels very appreciated that Marcus is willing to dance with her to cheer her up, but he doesn't know (or at least she thinks) that she harbours a deep infatuation with him.
When the song ends, Marcus sat down on the bed, tired from today, but feels happy whenever Tekla is close; Tekla then changed back into her Kwami Form and said "That… was the sweetest thing you ever did for me." Marcus chuckled lightly and replied "I'm more than happy to dance with you, Tech. You deserve to be treated fairly, no doubt." Tekla feels so flattered, she blushed from head to toe in crimson red, making Marcus chuckle a little before he yawned and got the donah cover over him before sleepily saying "Night… Techie."
Tekla is surprised that Marcus is affectionately nicknaming her 'Techie', before she flew to him and replied is a gentle whisper "Goodnight… Marky." She then kissed him in the cheek and flew quickly around the corner, covering her mouth with her hands and quietly squealing in admiration before she flew to the bed and snuggled between Marcus' head and the pillow. Marcus then opened his eyes slightly and smiled, knowing Tekla has harboured a deep affection for him, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.