Guess who's back! Me! (well duh, who else? XD) I have so much in my mind right now guys, it's a miracle my head didn't explode while I wrote this chapter. Speaking of which, I'm not so happy about this particular chapter, I don't know why (let's just hope you don't share my thoughts). So, with nothing better to say, I give you the longest filler in the history of fanfiction (yup. a filler (well at least I think so))
My heart pounded in my chest, everything still in slow motion around me. Rafael seemed to build more and more suspense with each passing moment, his eyes going between the audience and us without saying a word. I had tried to keep my eyes closed, but I was too anxious to even accomplish that small task.
Nico seemed calm, but a closer look at him showed that he was just as nervous as the rest of us, his breathing faster than normal and his bottle cap going between his wings. Pedro's eyes were wide and his entire body leaned forward as he waited for the winner to be announced; if Rafael doesn't hurry the cardinal will fall on his face any moment now. Miguel and Sophie looked like they would jump off the stage, either to chase one another or to run away from their respective bets in case they lost. Anna and I were holding wings trying to find some comfort in each other.
I was trying hard to keep my face neutral but I knew I was failing miserably, probably looking like a deer in headlights. Rafael took a deep breath, getting my own breath to hitch in my throat. He opened his beak and my heart started racing even faster than before. I got a feeling in my stomach that I only thought was possible during free fall, my eyes clamming shut for the second time now.
I held my breath as Rafael started talking…
And then felt my heart fall into my stomach as he announced the winners.
Pedro's victory cry could have been heard all the way to the jungle, but it somehow went mute in my ears. I looked at my green anklet, not really knowing where else to look at the moment. In less than a second I looked at the judges, the audience, Nico and even Rafael, hoping to find something that told me I misheard, but one look at Anna was enough.
She gave me a small smile and a shrug, holding my wing a little harder. Not knowing what to tell her I smiled back sadly, my heart still in the depths of my own body.
I looked at the guys, and the sight in front of me was just priceless. Nico and Pedro were beaming at the audience, the later pumping his fist in the air. Nico gave the audience an elegant bow, earning a huge round of claps. But the most amusing of it all was Miguel, who was giving his sister a smug smile. Add the narrowed eyes and the wiggling eyebrows and Sophie's panicked face and you have the funniest scene you have ever seen.
"Oh Sophie~" Miguel's singing voice could be heard over the roar of the crowd, earning everyone's attention. Sophie backed away from her brother getting his smile to turn into a smirk "Come on sis, time to pay"
"No"
"Sorry sis there's no backing away now"
Sophie stared at her brother for a moment, neither of them moving, and then jumped off the stage, dashing for the nearest exit faster than any one thought possible. Miguel froze for a second, not even his expression changing until Sophie's escape registered in his mind.
"Sophie!" Miguel chased his sister out of The Branch, a flash of green the last thing we saw of both parakeets "get back here!"
I shook my head at the sight. Under other circumstances I would have laughed, but I seemed unable to do so at the time. The weight of my own bet started to sink in me, making me glance at Nico more than once; I was met with one of his smirks every single time. I swallowed hard, trying not to over think the whole thing, but to no avail. My mind was in overdrive just thinking of what Nico could discover with his questions.
Part of me wanted to run like Sophie had, and the other part wanted me to lie to Nico. But I couldn't do either, my body too tired to even think of running for it, and not having the ability to make up something believable enough to cover myself from whatever he might ask.
"Hey" I felt someone tapping my shoulder and turned around to find no other than Jazz "I just wanted to say that your performance was amazing" the hummingbird offered me her wing, which I shook lightly.
"Thanks" I looked behind me and saw Pedro sharing fist bumps with random birds from the audience "Not amazing enough to beat them I guess"
"Hey, you were going against veterans" I smiled at the reference, deciding that the title fitted them "But there's always next year, and with your talent you're bound to beat them"
I smiled at her, trying hard not to think of the fact that I was probably not competing next year. I scanned the audience casually, but thankfully I didn't see anyone matching Luca's description. At this point I know he'll keep his promise and give me an entire week, which leaves me with… it took all my will power not to show fear as I realized I only had tomorrow left.
"Jazz, did you see where…" we turned to see Damian looking at us. He looked surprised, like he had just realized that Jazz wasn't alone, but recovered quickly "Hello. Jazz, you didn't tell me you knew the star of the night" the Hoopoe crossed his wings over his chest, his crown feathers rising for a second as he shifted his weight from of foot to the other.
I raised my brow slightly, still trying to figure out the guy completely.
"I think you confuse me with Nico"
"No, I'm pretty sure I meant you love" He smirked, earning a half smile from me and an eye roll from Jazz. By the look on the hummingbird's face, he uses this type of nicknames on a daily basis "You should have won" the statement came out bluntly, making my eyes go a little wide. He just said that if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Thanks, I guess we'll try next year" Jazz smiled at that, and I mimicked her expression. Thank goodness my comment didn't sound too uneasy. A laugh made us all turn our heads to the other side of the stage, where Flare and Nico where talking, the former laughing at something Nico had said or done. I looked away quickly, not really interested in what they were doing.
Not interested, my tail feathers, you're j-
I mentally kicked my inner self as hard as I could, effectively silencing her. I grunted lowly, suppressing a scoff that suddenly wanted to come out. Damian shook his head a little and started mumbling.
"Well now we know why Flare voted for them…"
"Let her be, it's hard not to give that guy a second glance" Jazz said in a casual tone.
Damian placed a wing in his chest "Hey don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he's bad looking" he shrugged and added "he's just not my type" I would have fainted if it wasn't for his joking tone. This guy is even more intense than everyone I know, even Pedro. And Pedro can be intense when he wants to, trust me. But even more than just his comments, he seems to have no filters to what he says, he just says it and hopes for the best.
Jazz seems quite used to it, just giving the other one a look before saying "Of course not. We all know what your type is" her teasing tone earned a smile from Damian, his crest rising and staying that way for a while.
"Speaking of which" he addressed his next comment to me "you wouldn't happen to know where your friend ran to, would you?"
I blinked once, then twice, not really knowing what to say. It took me a moment to understand who he was talking about, but when I did I had to blink once more. I couldn't picture Damian and Sophie together, no matter how hard I tried. Innocent Sophie, the amazing dancer with a nice attitude, challenging with her brother but a little shy if you don't know her, and Damian, the joking foreigner with an adrenaline addiction and a clear cynic side behind his playful manners. Right now the only thing they have in common is dancing; I don't know him well enough to say anything else.
"No… she was in a hurry to get away from her brother" I felt the need to explain at their expressions "they made a bet during the competition"
"Oh, so you made bets?" I nodded once, my gaze traveling to Nico before I could stop myself. Jazz noticed this, but decided not to comment about it "What did you bet?"
"It's…" I shifted my weight back and forth anxiously "complicated…" I finished pathetically. Damian raised his brows, but kept his comments to himself after looking at Jazz, who shook her head once discreetly. Bless her for that.
"KALLI!" I almost jumped out of my feathers at the shriek that literally came out of nowhere, three heads snapping up in time to see a panicked Sophie coming our way. She hid behind me, almost tackling me to the ground in the process, and left me between her and what looked like an amused yet annoyed Miguel.
"Save me Kalli!"
"Don't defend her Kalli, she agreed to the bet!"
"No I didn't"
"Yes you did"
"You have no witnesses!"
"No witne… Sophie you're just delaying the inevitable!"
My eyes were wide as plates, my body being dragged around as a ragdoll in Sophie's attempt to use me as a bird shield. She jumped back when Miguel lunged at us, the amusement long gone, and somehow managed to put me next to Jazz, now using me and the two judges as shields. Jazz looked just as surprised as I was, but Damian simply got a flirtatious smile and an amused expression when he felt the parakeet place her wing in his shoulder and press herself behind him since Jazz and I weren't tall enough to cover her fully.
I gave the Hoopoe an uneasy look, not really sure what to expect from him.
"Kalli!" the two parakeets screamed, one of them pleading and the other in a warning tone. I looked to my right, seeing Sophie poking her beak and eyes from behind Damian, and then to Miguel.
"Come on Sophie, you agreed" Sophie's beak fell open as she gave me a hopeless look "besides, how bad can it possibly be?"
We had all gone to our respective hollows for the night, but were awoken before sunrise by an excited Miguel. Needless to say he got a chalk thrown at his face the moment he tried to wake up my sister. After that we all met at the parakeets' hollow, where not only did we find Rafael, Nico and Pedro, but also Damian, who had talked with Miguel about what he was forcing Sophie to do and decided to tag along. His only explanation was that he had no plans for the morning and that he just couldn't miss this.
We were all so tired by the whole competition thing, that the usual 40 minute flight to our destination took almost an hour to complete, and no one even bothered asking why we were going there. Damian was the only one who knew besides Miguel and Sophie, but they wanted to keep it a surprise.
During the whole trip the only thing that was heard was Sophie trying to buy her way out of the bet, and Miguel simply shaking his head or saying no. The poor parakeet tried to make a run for it more than once, but Miguel caught her in less than a minute.
And now, after an hour of flight, we found ourselves in the Tijuca National Park, northwest from Ipanema, and right in the edge of the biggest waterfall in the entire place. I peeked down and saw that it was quite a fall, preceded by smaller waterfalls, and with a fast current.
"All right. Rafael, the palm leaf please"
"Here you go. Not sure why you wanted it though" Rafael handed Miguel the palm leaf he had been carrying along all the way from the beach back home. It was one big leaf, taller than Rafael himself and thick to the point where not even my talons could break it. Miguel pulled out a piece of string he had brought with him and started working on the leaf. He looked like a child on Christmas, the complete opposite from his sister, who was the epitome of sheer panic.
I gave them both an uneasy look and walked over to Damian, wondering if I could get him to tell me what exactly was going on. But before I could get to him, he started talking to Sophie, a casual yet soft tone.
"Hey love, how you holding up?" his Irish accent broke part of the silence, neither of them noticing my presence.
"Fine… I guess" it was a miracle the girl didn't stutter, and I felt sorry for her. I have no idea what Miguel will ask her to do, but she's terrified to the very core.
"You'll be fine" he placed a wing in the girl's shoulder "just hold on tight and you'll be okay. Who knows, maybe you'll end up enjoying yourself"
"I doubt it" still after her remark, she managed to give Damian a small smile, which he returned with some excitement.
"Ah, don't be negative love, you could be surprised"
I walked away from the scene, far more questions in my head than before. Not only was I completely confused about what we were doing here or what was Sophie going to do, but I was starting to wonder about Damian's intentions with Sophie.
He definitely didn't act like the same bird I met last night when he was around her. Besides the fact that he calls her 'love' and that his adrenaline-seeking personality sometimes shows, there is nothing of what I saw last night. Jazz told me after he left that Damian was one to get interested in a girl quite fast, but she didn't tell me if he lost interest at the same speed or not. Right now he seems like a kind guy, but I'll keep my eye out for him; 'cuase if he hurts Sophie, he'll find himself in the receiving end of my rage, and of Miguel's too.
I got to the end of the waterfall and sat down, my legs dangling over the edge back and forth. I heard someone walking my way, and even with the roar of the flowing water I knew who it was; what startled me was how close he turned out to be.
"Love's in the air, isn't it bonita?" I gave Nico a look that asked him to explain, and he just pointed at Damian and Sophie, not missing a beat to point at Pedro and Anna as they shared a quick kiss. I smiled at the last scene as Nico sat down next to me.
"I guess it is"
"Now only we are missing" my heart skipped a beat as a first thought came to my mind. My eyes widened slightly as my body froze, but if Nico noticed this he decided not to comment about it, instead laying down next me with a lazy look in his eyes. I founded it hard to simply shrug away his statement; part of me was trying to get a meaning out of it that I knew wasn't there.
"Not true" he gazed my way "Miguel's single too" I laid down next to him, a low chuckle coming from his chest.
"Yeah. So then it's the three of us" he got up on his right elbow, taking off his bottle cap and placing it on the ground before lying back down, this time using the cap to rest his head.
"It's funny" I said aloud, looking up at the clouds that hovered lazily over us.
"What is?"
"That you, out of all the birds in Rio, are single"
Nico gave me an almost amused look, one of his brows raised "how come?"
"Yeah. I mean, Nico, the great performer with the dream voice, the perfect gentleman, single?" he blinked once, probably not knowing if he should take it as a compliment "I pay attention, and you are not lacking girls that would gladly say yes. Mind explaining?"
He suppressed a laugh and looked up at the sky, shrugging one shoulder "I guess I haven't found the right girl"
"Yeah right" I told him in a teasing tone, earning a light shove from him.
"What about you?"
"What about me?" I turned and met his eyes, suddenly realizing how much of a difference it made to use his cap as a pillow. He had to turn his whole body to look at me in the eye.
"The beautiful and mysterious new performer, who's able to win the audience with just one song; I pay attention too bonita, and there is more than just one guy back at The Branch willing to carry you home" I got a light blush under my feathers, not really buying it but grateful none the less. I've never had more than just one guy interested in me, and the idea of what Nico just said being true is strange to me.
"Please…"
"I'm serious" I looked at him for a moment before looking away, something in his eyes telling me that it wasn't just flattering "So what's your excuse?"
I kept my gaze in the clouds, suddenly finding them to be too bright to be looked at directly. I sighed through my nose, finally mimicking him and shrugging my left shoulder.
"I dunno, I don't like risking it I guess"
Nico scoffed loudly "Yeah right" he quoted me, imitating my voice in a way that made me raise both my brows. He sounded just like me, to the point where even he was surprised. We looked at each other, eyes wide for a moment, before we started laughing loudly.
"Oh my God!" I managed to get out between laughs, holding my stomach as I got into a sitting position "How did you do that?"
"I'm at a loss" he wiped away a tear from his eyes before his laughter started to subside. My own laughs turned into giggles as I laid back down, my wing still in my stomach. He sighed and ran a wing through his feathers, the few feathers on top of his head spiking up a little from the motion.
I had to fight the sudden urge to ruffle up his feathers with my wing, a tone of red getting up my neck and settling on my cheeks. I looked up at the sky, hoping my blush was hidden from the other canary, and bit my lower beak. What the hell was that?
"You alright bonita?" Nico was still chuckling slightly, but he didn't miss the fact that I had stiffened all of a sudden.
"Sure" once I was sure my blush was gone I turned and gave him an honest smile. That did it, and he just looked up once more. A moment passed before his eyes narrowed slightly. At first I thought he was focusing up at the sky, but the devilish smirk that crept up to his beak told me otherwise. It also made me quite nervous.
"Hey Kalli, now that I think of it, you owe me some answers" his eyes focused on me as mine widened. I suddenly felt trapped between those deep brown eyes and a wall, like if Nico was a cat about to jump on me. I stared at him for a second, neither of us moving, as my mind tried to find an escape route for me. After a second of thought I opted to follow my instincts and simply make a run for it.
I tried to get up as fast as I could, but Nico saw it coming from miles away. In a swift moment he grabbed my shoulder, and after a few seconds of struggle he pinned me to the ground, using his full weight to keep me there. I tried to struggle a little more, pushing him with my wing, but felt suddenly paralyzed at how close his face was of mine. Our foreheads where a feathers' distance from each other, his eyes hovering over mine. His wings where on both sides of my head one of them holding my wrist, making my escape impossible, and one of his knees was on my stomach. My wing was still on his chest from when I tried to push him, felling how he seemed to be short of breath, probably from laughing so hard and from the small struggle.
"You ain't avoiding this so easily" his breath tickled my face, and I'm sure mine would have done the same to him if I exhaled, but my breath was stuck in my throat and refused to go out. I blinked once, a blush forming on my cheeks once more, but he just looked at me with determination in his eyes.
"Dear God, get a room will you?" Damian's mocking tone snapped us back to the real world, that one where a group of birds was around us waiting to see Sophie pay her own bet to her brother. That world where said birds were looking at us with amused expressions.
I looked away from the Hoopoe's stare, the deepest blush ever taking over my face and neck as I realized what a mind like his could come up with by just looking at us. Nico got up slowly, the wing that was on my wrist not letting go as he helped me up. Just then I realized the glare Nico was giving to Damian; it was discreet, his eyes barely narrowed, but it was clearly there.
Damian promptly ignored the glare address at him and focused on my still blushing face "Sorry love, but Miguel says everything's ready" I gave him a nod, earning a smile from him. When Nico moved away to get his bottle cap back, Damian leaned and whispered in my ear "Quite a catch darling" the Irish bird gave me a wink, which Nico turned just in time to see, and left in a casual pace, just like if he hadn't made me feel embarrassed to the very core.
"Saved by the Irish guy" Nico placed his bottle cap in his head defiantly, still glaring slightly at the other bird's back. The aggressive attitude seemed completely unusual on Nico, making me look down. I tucked my messy bangs behind my ear, and that simple movement was enough to get Nico back to his normal self "but this isn't over bonita. We have a pending conversation" he pointed at me with one wing while dusting himself off with the other.
"Yeah" I smiled; my blush disappearing the moment Nico came back to normal. I glanced back, and when I saw that Damian, or anyone else for the matter, wasn't looking I got closer to Nico, earning a surprised look from the canary. I dusted off some dirt that he had missed by his shoulder and then looked into his eyes, adding some meaning into my voice as I said "Can't wait"
Nico was so caught on what I was doing, and on my voice, that he didn't notice my other wing going up and getting his bottle cap right off his head. I gave him one last look before walking away, and if I didn't knew him I would have sworn he was about to blush. I glanced back just in time to see him put a wing in his head and then look at me, one of his smirks taking over as he realized what had just happened.
I laughed as I walked past Pedro, but it died down the moment I saw the scene in front of me.
The palm leaf was spread out on the ground next to the river that lead to the chain of small waterfalls, Sophie sitting on it with a look of dread in her face. The string Miguel had brought was tied at the base of the leaf, going under it in complicated knots around the leaf before the two ends stuck out on the sides, both of which were being grabbed by Sophie. The parakeet had a nutshell on her head, giving the impression of an improvised helmet.
The whole thing seemed odd until it hit me. It was a sled; a much improvised one, but a sled none the less. But there was no mountain around, where was Sophie supposed to… A feeling of dread built inside me as my eyes focused on the river next to us, Damian's words suddenly making sense.
"You'll be fine, just hold on tight and you'll be okay"
Please tell me this isn't what I think it is.
I heard Nico trying to sneak up behind me in an attempt to get his bottle cap back, clearly not aware of what was about to happen to Sophie. I simply took the cap of my head and handed it out to him, my eyes not leaving the parakeet for a second.
"Aww c'mon! How could you possibly know it was me?" you could almost hear the frustration in Nico's voice, but I didn't bother answering him.
"Miguel" Rafael voiced all of my fears before I even had the time to speak. Miguel looked up from his work at the sled "don't you think this is a little too much?"
Sophie managed to pull off a blank stare "A little?"
Miguel simply looked at his sister and then at the waterfall with an expression that showed he was in deep thought. He shrugged a second later and got back to work "No, not really. Why?"
My beak fell open at what he said, but again before I could say anything Miguel got up and grabbed Sophie by her shoulders "Okay sis, this is it, you ready?"
"Not really" Sophie glanced at the river nervously "but I don't have a choice do I?"
"Nope" Miguel gave her the cutest smile I have ever seen, earning a death glare from his sister. If looks could kill, the male parakeet would have burst into flame right then and there.
"Listen darling" Damian moved forward, patting Sophie on the back gently "just hold on and enjoy the ride. The current will do all the hard work for you until you reach the edge. If I could I'd change spots with you" Sophie nodded and focused on Damian while Miguel took the edge of the leaf with his claws and dragged it to the very edge of the river. I looked around me, not really knowing how to react.
Rafael had an uneasy look on his face, probably thinking that this was a bad idea. Anna had her face hidden in Pedro´s chest feathers, the cardinal's eyes wide, but not in his usual excitement. He looked truly nervous. Nico was standing next to his best friend, his bottle cap covering his whole face except for his eyes. I looked back at Sophie just as Damian stepped away from her.
She seemed a little calmer now; leave it to Damian to get her to relax in such a situation. Unluckily, any determination that might have built in her broke down when Miguel spoke again.
"Oh, and if you see a rock, just pull the string in the other direction"
Sophie's eyes were wide beyond belief at this point "Rocks!"
"Relax" Miguel pushed her and got the leaf into the water "You'll be fine!" before Sophie could say anything the powerful current pulled her away. The current itself was stronger than any of us anticipated, dragging her away and into the lower maze of small drops in just a second, not even giving her time to scream.
Damian took off right behind her, matching her speed without a problem.
Miguel laughed like a small child before following suit "I've got to see this!"
The rest of just stared wide eyed at where Sophie used to be without moving. I looked back at the rest, seeing they were just like I was, shocked and speechless. A scream from down the river snapped me out of the shock and I darted in the direction where Sophie had disappeared, not bothering to check if the others were following me or not.
I got some height as I flew over the many small rivers that divided themselves and went in different directions before meeting again at the very end, right before the big drop. I looked around, searching for Sophie but not finding her. A hysterical laugh made me turn to the right where I saw Miguel and Damian hovering over Sophie at high speed. Damian was flying so close to the water I thought he would get into the river, but he just did an elegant body roll and kept following the panicked parakeet that was pulling at the string frantically. Meanwhile Miguel was laughing so hard he was having trouble staying in the air.
A scream made me turn my head in time to see Sophie being shot from the edge of the waterfall and then disappear downwards. In that very moment Miguel couldn't handle his own laughter anymore and collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
We all gathered at the edge of the cliff, Miguel sitting on the floor trying to control his laughing fit and Damian flying over us. We all simply stared, waiting for Sophie to come back up.
"Miguel, you're so mean!" Anna pushed him, the parakeet simply collapsing back on the floor and not bothering to deny it.
"And you're not the one that has to live with him" her voice was heard before a green wing came from the edge of the cliff, the whole body of a very tired Sophie following suit. The improvised helmet was covering one of her eyes, the palm leaf tied around her ankle. She stood there, an unamused look on her visible eye and soaking wet from beak to tail.
Brother and sister watched each other in silence before a loud snort was heard and Miguel started rolling on the floor. The whole scene earned a small laugh from all of us, including me, but I tried to cover it with a cough.
"Ha, ha, ha, very funny. Wait till I get you back…" Damian landed next to Sophie, who was trying and failing to get part of the water off her feathers.
"Ah love, it wasn't that bad. You did quite good for a first timer" he got the helmet off her, getting some trapped water to fall on her head. Miguel was gasping for air at this point, earning a smirk from his sister.
"Yeah girl, it was awesome!" Pedro stated like he hadn't been nervous less than a minute earlier.
"Well then, your next" Sophie threw the palm leaf at Pedro, the now damaged plant landing at his feet. The cardinal rubbed his neck and coughed awkwardly.
"Maybe next time…" none of us could keep our laughter to ourselves, even Sophie cracking a genuine smile.
The flight back home was faster this time, only taking us 40 minutes before we saw the city in the distance. This time the whole trip was filled with small talks, some of which were Sophie plotting against her brother with mine and Anna's help. It's not like the male parakeet will wake up tomorrow without a single feather on his body –took us a while to talk Sophie out of that one- but he is in for a real treat next year.
I enjoyed the flight back home, watching the jungle and the beach while my friends' voices filled the air, trying to memorize everything while I could. At this point it was hard not to think of Luca falling on me like a bird of prey, but I tried my best.
We landed on a tent that covered a stand at the fruit market, big enough to hide us from human eyes. Pedro pulled my sister on a one wing hug.
"Well, hate to break this down on you, but you owe me" Anna gave her boyfriend a defeated look, a small smile in her beak, and placed her wing on his chest.
"I know, I know. Just give me one second, I've got to do something first" Pedro nodded once before Anna grabbed my wing and pulled away from the others. Nico gave us a curious look but Anna made me turn the other way so that I was facing her. There was a sudden seriousness in her eyes.
"Go"
"What?" I blinked once in utter confusion.
"Go now, I'll cover for you"
"What are you talking about?"
"You seriously think I don't know about your bet with Nico?" I froze on the spot at that.
"How?"
"I know you enough to know" then she added in a murmur "and I heard you when you made it" I tried to give her a blank stare, but she pushed me away, practically getting me off the tent. I still gave her a confused look, not really knowing why she wanted me to leave.
"Face it Kalli, your terrified to tell him, I can see it" I looked down for a second, hating that she knew how to read me whenever she needed to "and even if you'll have to tell him sooner or later, you can get some time to get ready" I gave her a grateful smile before she left. Nico took a step my way, but Anna grabbed his wing and pulled him in the opposite direction.
"Nico, may I have a word with you?" Anna sent me a wink and shooed me with her wing. Nico looked suspicious, but before he could complain I jumped off the tent. I flew just an inch away from ground level under ten stands before I turned a corner and flew aimlessly through the city. I started gaining speed, suddenly realizing how scared I really was.
Luca would show up any moment now and weather I liked it or not I would have to spend my last day answering any question Nico wants to ask me, limitations aside. Not that the idea of spending time with Nico bothers me, but I'm not keen on the idea of going through an interrogation.
I tried to warn you, but you never listen to me!
I shook my head, not wanting to deal with my inner self at the time being; it's true I never listen to her, and I'm definitely not starting now. I instead focused on my surroundings, but what I found around me made me stop dead on the spot. I had made it all the way back to the jungle, just a few yards away from the beach. I started panting, the great distance I had traveled suddenly taking its toll on me.
I collapsed on the soft sand, not bothering to get away from the crashing waves that soaked my feathers, and closed my eyes. A soft breeze fluttered past me allowing me to intake the smell of the ocean. I placed my head in my wings, just listening to the sounds of the ocean and of the jungle behind me, filled with life at this hour. I stayed like that for a few minutes before the passing waves started sinking me in the damp sand, forcing me to move into another place.
I walked along the shore for a while, trying hard to keep my own thoughts on edge. Once I couldn't I just let them come at me full force, preparing myself for the emotional hit I knew was coming.
Part of my mind was counting every single second that went by, a mix of relief and dread by the mere thought of Luca. It was like getting into a snake's den; you sigh in relief the deeper you get, but you know it'll attack sooner or later. It was that feeling of suspense that was killing me. And I'm quite sure Luca knows it.
The part of me that wasn't working as a fulltime clock was focusing on my bet with Nico, flashing questions and answers before my eyes far too fast for me to register all of them. The ones I did register made me cringe.
You don't have to answer him.
Oh really? And how does that work?
You could just stay here and wait for Luca.
I slowed down into a full stop, not sure if I had heard myself correctly. Wait for Luca? While the idea of staying at the beach was tempting, there was something that kept tugging at the back of my mind, demanding my attention. An old memory, buried and locked away, but that had found its way through the barriers. A voice, cold and angry, filled with poison and grief, echoing through my head like a scream would on a cave.
I took off in the air to the only place where I knew I could find Nico right now. No more hiding, no more running, no more excuses and no more avoiding what I should have done hours ago. I dashed through the trees while Luca's voice repeated itself in my head like a cruel mantra:
"You're such a coward"
So... yeah. The guys won! Anyone has any questions you want Nico to ask Kalli (remember it's six of them)? Anything goes guys. What did you guys think of Damian? I based him on some movie characters (mostly Eames from Inception) but I don't know. What do you think?
On with the reviews:
ILOVENICO1000X: Thanks, glad you liked it. As you see the guys won (I just had to make them win). I'm giving up, the cuteness cannot be avoided, so I'm really glad you like it (there will be A LOT more in next chapters). And thanks, I had a great time in vacations, but I'm actually more tired now than before I left XD oh well.
EmmerzK: Hope I didn't have you waiting for to long (your review and your PM told me you were quite excited, so I hope this made you happy :D). :3 I love that song, it just had to be there. And do not fear, I'll get the bottle cap story in sooner or later, but for now we can focus on Nico's questions for Kalli. And just to answer your question (took me a while to answer, sorry ^^") I'm thinking Nico should be 21 or 22, not sure at the time (I want him to be young, and let's face it, he doesn't give the impression of being much older than that)
SacredHearts: Thanks, always good to see a new name. And OMG I sooo love that song (hahaha, does it show?) Glad you liked the song choice.
Guest/Niah09: I hadn't realized the review said "guest" until I read your second review XD. OMG you must, MUST hear 'The Reason' and watch Inception. Inception is probably my favorite movie besides Rio in the entire world (I have the biggest crush on Arthur X3). It happens to me too, I see a girl talking to my crush and I'm like 'GRRR!' XD. Everyone wanted the girls to win just 'cause they wanted to hear the bottle cap story (don't worry, we'll get to hear Nico's story). I did take a small book with me, and no, I don't think your CDs and my song picks are a coincidence (I think your mind reading powers are back). Yup, Luca will be back soon. Very soon...
JahMasterWikiwuki: And I just want you to know how much I love your name! It's so cool! XD. Well, you were right, the guys won; Any questions you might want to ask Kalli? And thanks, for forcing yourself to write the review, I really appreciate it :D.
OMG guys, so many reviews! I got totally mind blown! THANKS! I can't thank you enough for wasting your time in reading this thing, and for showing support. I just... thank you so much :3.
Special thanks to antaurilover685, Givala, JahMasterWikiwuki, SacredHearts, Whispers-of-Eternal-Moon-Mist and in case I didn't mention you before, ILOVENICO1000X (I'm not sure if I mentioned you before, so just to be on the safe side) for adding this to their faves.
Hey guys I was checking the story stats, and turns out there's someone in Slovakia reading this! So freaking awesome!
I hate adding this, but I don't own Rio, I just own my OCs (I think by this point we all know their names).
And remember that all reviews are welcome, no exceptions. See you later guys! (Dear God, I ramble like crazy...)