No Ordinary Voyage, Chapter 21: Green-Eyed Monster
Felix's smiling, beautifully exotic face filled my field of vision as I opened my eyes. Some of her hair slipped out from behind one ear, and I noticed that Leandro's beads were gone... Evening starlight streamed in around her from the open door as she bent over my bunk, her arms bare, the square neck of her white night dress cut lower than usual. The Angel of Deukalion...
She made a quick glance around her and then smiled back at me. She pressed her finger to her lips, her emerald green eyes twinkling with laughter. For the life of me, at that moment I didn't know why, but she took my hand and mouthed the words, follow me, her eyes shining with something I could not understand.
I stood up wide-eyed, wide-awake. She walked, barefoot, a few steps before me, and then she stopped in the doorway and turned. My breath caught, and I just stared for a few seconds. I doubt I could have stood in eternity just watching her, though, and I quickened my steps toward her. She gave a soft laugh and dashed up on deck.
I followed quickly, vaguely thinking that perhaps Leandro was waiting with another prank for us. But my mouth dropped open as stars and clouds of all colors and sizes filled the heavens as well as my eyes. Felix laughed out loud. "Isn't it beautiful?" she exclaimed, grabbing hold of my arm.
I nodded and turned. "I should call Leandro, he'd want to see this," I said, backing away, but keeping my eyes on that glorious sky. But Felix grabbed my hand.
"He's asleep," she said.
I couldn't believe that. I knew that Leandro, that artistic nut with appreciation for all things beautiful, had to see this. "I'll wake him," I answered.
"No," she insisted, pulling me back. "At least... not yet. Let's... let's just watch it ourselves. Just for a moment..."
I looked at her then, and my heart did skip a beat. The stars and her thick reddish-brown hair framed her magnificently, and it was as if the deck was flooded with golden light. She was absolutely alluring, and the fact that she was in her night dress only made her more so... One word escaped my lips, and it was her name, in a whisper. "... Felix..."
Her eyes were raised hungrily to the zenith of the etherium, exposing a surprisingly tempting throat. I felt her tapered fingers warm as they held onto my sleeve, and she stood so close I could almost taste the warmth of the rest of her. But it was her green eyes, filled with wonder and delight and almost luminous in the starlight, that had me stunned.
She broke away, and I reached for her hand but missed. Felix twirled on the deck, with her arms raised, looking ultimately graceful in that white dress and her bare feet. Her toes barely seemed to touch the planks.
"Isn't it beautiful, Jim?" she asked again, putting her arms down and then hugging herself, her eyes still in a showdown with the stars. I wasn't sure who would win. Everything had seemed to dance with her and stop when she settled. "Have you ever seen anything more beautiful in your life?"
"Yes," I croaked, seemingly afraid of my own voice. Felix's eeys descended to meet mine, and she smiled. Her feet half-ran, half-danced over the deck and brought her into my arms as she hung her own around my neck. She gave a tiny bubble of a laugh as I returned her smile at last. Her hair shone brown, red, and gold as it brushed my hand on her back. Her eyes, her laughing green cat eyes were still filled with the warmth of starlight.
Then she touched her lips to mine, and we kissed.
At once, I was flooded with warmth, and everything seemed to turn and turn around us. I was once told I'd rattle the stars, but with Felix's kiss I felt that we were rattling the etherium and everything in it. We were rising, higher and higher, and I felt the way I had when I'd first tried out a solar surfer - stunned, exhilirated, and wanting more.
My fingers crept into her hair, and my arm tightened around her waist, trying to close any forgotten gaps between us. Then a wave of cold sliced through me, and Felix pulled away.
Clutching my gut, I opened my eyes. The stars were gone, the last of them faint streaks disappearing into the void. The sky was dark. The ship was still flooded by that eerie golden-bronze light, but it was sailing in blackness. I reached for Felix, but she stepped back. Her eyes were dull and cold, and she gave me only a blank stare.
An arm seemed to come out of nowhere and snake around her waist from behind, and a chilling voice said, "Come one, Hawkins. You've had your turn with her. Now it's mine." Leandro sneered. "She's mine," he added, his usual cheery voice now filled with malice.
"No," I cried hoarsely, stepping forward. But I slipped and felt something from Leandro's icy eyes pushing me back. I looked at Felix. She had to help me. It was all wrong. Wrong!
But the smug, icy expression on Leandro's face had crept into hers, and I felt as if I'd freeze to death. "No," I cried, just as their eyes locked onto each other. I shivered. "No, Felix, don't..." I was on my knees, reaching for her, but she seemed so out of my grasp. A shadow seemed to envelope me, and only Felix and Leandro were bathed in that glorious golden light - light that somehow changed to look cold.
She was still fiercely, unbearable beautiful. But a monster.
And they kissed.
Felix's eyes closed, and Leandro's face seemed to shine in triumph. He, too, pulled her closer, and his hands began to roam her back. Felix looked completely willing, and she kissed Leandro with more passion and ardor than she had ever shown me. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe; I could barely speak.
Then, Felix pulled away to give me one last cold glare as Leandro opened the door of her cabin. He pulled her inside, pulling the rest of the light with her. I was left outside on the deck, shivering in the darkness and the cold.
I think I would have wept then if the ground hadn't been pulled out from under me. Suddenly, I was floating, and the deck began to quickly shring beneath my feet. My blood ran cold as I realized what was happening. The scene, having happened already on another ship a year ago, was all too familiar. "Help!" I cried. "Help me, Felix, please!"
I grabbed at the rigging, the mast, the flag - anything! - but the Interloper was like silk slipping through my fingers, and I was lost, screaming and alone in the void...
=*=
"Hey, not so loud, Jim... Wake up!"
Felix's smiling, beautifully exotic face filled my field of vision as I opened my eyes. Evening starlight streamed in around her from the open door as she bent over my bunk in her night dress. She pressed a finger to her lips, her emerald eyes twinkling with laughter. "Follow me," she whispered.
I sat up, covered in sweat, and buried my head in my hands. I looked up, and she was still standing there, her smiling face framed by dim white light and her thick, dark hair.
"Come on," she hissed, "Leandro's up top. He's got a plan for when the others wake."
I stood up, not answering, and numbly followed her up the stairs onto the deck. It was dark, dimly lit by the lantern of the helmsman above us. The sky was the way it usually was - starry, but not so incredible as...
I looked at Felix. Smiling, she stuck her tongue out at Leandro and tossed me the rope. No trace of the daggers she'd been digging into my heart through her eyes. I could just make out the shape of her lips in the night, and I bit my own.
"Still dreaming, Hawkins?" Leandro asked, gamely slapping me on the back. Felix laughed, and I gave Leandro a feeble grin. He, too, was himself.
I nodded, half-joking, half-serious. "Yeah."
Author's Note: Hey, thanks to treasureplanet-gurl and H2o for the reviews! Thanks for enthusiasm to H2o in particular. I think you should know, though, that I'm a girl. I kind of challenged myself to write in male first-person POV. Am I doing a good job? ':) Haha, thanks again...
Felix's smiling, beautifully exotic face filled my field of vision as I opened my eyes. Some of her hair slipped out from behind one ear, and I noticed that Leandro's beads were gone... Evening starlight streamed in around her from the open door as she bent over my bunk, her arms bare, the square neck of her white night dress cut lower than usual. The Angel of Deukalion...
She made a quick glance around her and then smiled back at me. She pressed her finger to her lips, her emerald green eyes twinkling with laughter. For the life of me, at that moment I didn't know why, but she took my hand and mouthed the words, follow me, her eyes shining with something I could not understand.
I stood up wide-eyed, wide-awake. She walked, barefoot, a few steps before me, and then she stopped in the doorway and turned. My breath caught, and I just stared for a few seconds. I doubt I could have stood in eternity just watching her, though, and I quickened my steps toward her. She gave a soft laugh and dashed up on deck.
I followed quickly, vaguely thinking that perhaps Leandro was waiting with another prank for us. But my mouth dropped open as stars and clouds of all colors and sizes filled the heavens as well as my eyes. Felix laughed out loud. "Isn't it beautiful?" she exclaimed, grabbing hold of my arm.
I nodded and turned. "I should call Leandro, he'd want to see this," I said, backing away, but keeping my eyes on that glorious sky. But Felix grabbed my hand.
"He's asleep," she said.
I couldn't believe that. I knew that Leandro, that artistic nut with appreciation for all things beautiful, had to see this. "I'll wake him," I answered.
"No," she insisted, pulling me back. "At least... not yet. Let's... let's just watch it ourselves. Just for a moment..."
I looked at her then, and my heart did skip a beat. The stars and her thick reddish-brown hair framed her magnificently, and it was as if the deck was flooded with golden light. She was absolutely alluring, and the fact that she was in her night dress only made her more so... One word escaped my lips, and it was her name, in a whisper. "... Felix..."
Her eyes were raised hungrily to the zenith of the etherium, exposing a surprisingly tempting throat. I felt her tapered fingers warm as they held onto my sleeve, and she stood so close I could almost taste the warmth of the rest of her. But it was her green eyes, filled with wonder and delight and almost luminous in the starlight, that had me stunned.
She broke away, and I reached for her hand but missed. Felix twirled on the deck, with her arms raised, looking ultimately graceful in that white dress and her bare feet. Her toes barely seemed to touch the planks.
"Isn't it beautiful, Jim?" she asked again, putting her arms down and then hugging herself, her eyes still in a showdown with the stars. I wasn't sure who would win. Everything had seemed to dance with her and stop when she settled. "Have you ever seen anything more beautiful in your life?"
"Yes," I croaked, seemingly afraid of my own voice. Felix's eeys descended to meet mine, and she smiled. Her feet half-ran, half-danced over the deck and brought her into my arms as she hung her own around my neck. She gave a tiny bubble of a laugh as I returned her smile at last. Her hair shone brown, red, and gold as it brushed my hand on her back. Her eyes, her laughing green cat eyes were still filled with the warmth of starlight.
Then she touched her lips to mine, and we kissed.
At once, I was flooded with warmth, and everything seemed to turn and turn around us. I was once told I'd rattle the stars, but with Felix's kiss I felt that we were rattling the etherium and everything in it. We were rising, higher and higher, and I felt the way I had when I'd first tried out a solar surfer - stunned, exhilirated, and wanting more.
My fingers crept into her hair, and my arm tightened around her waist, trying to close any forgotten gaps between us. Then a wave of cold sliced through me, and Felix pulled away.
Clutching my gut, I opened my eyes. The stars were gone, the last of them faint streaks disappearing into the void. The sky was dark. The ship was still flooded by that eerie golden-bronze light, but it was sailing in blackness. I reached for Felix, but she stepped back. Her eyes were dull and cold, and she gave me only a blank stare.
An arm seemed to come out of nowhere and snake around her waist from behind, and a chilling voice said, "Come one, Hawkins. You've had your turn with her. Now it's mine." Leandro sneered. "She's mine," he added, his usual cheery voice now filled with malice.
"No," I cried hoarsely, stepping forward. But I slipped and felt something from Leandro's icy eyes pushing me back. I looked at Felix. She had to help me. It was all wrong. Wrong!
But the smug, icy expression on Leandro's face had crept into hers, and I felt as if I'd freeze to death. "No," I cried, just as their eyes locked onto each other. I shivered. "No, Felix, don't..." I was on my knees, reaching for her, but she seemed so out of my grasp. A shadow seemed to envelope me, and only Felix and Leandro were bathed in that glorious golden light - light that somehow changed to look cold.
She was still fiercely, unbearable beautiful. But a monster.
And they kissed.
Felix's eyes closed, and Leandro's face seemed to shine in triumph. He, too, pulled her closer, and his hands began to roam her back. Felix looked completely willing, and she kissed Leandro with more passion and ardor than she had ever shown me. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe; I could barely speak.
Then, Felix pulled away to give me one last cold glare as Leandro opened the door of her cabin. He pulled her inside, pulling the rest of the light with her. I was left outside on the deck, shivering in the darkness and the cold.
I think I would have wept then if the ground hadn't been pulled out from under me. Suddenly, I was floating, and the deck began to quickly shring beneath my feet. My blood ran cold as I realized what was happening. The scene, having happened already on another ship a year ago, was all too familiar. "Help!" I cried. "Help me, Felix, please!"
I grabbed at the rigging, the mast, the flag - anything! - but the Interloper was like silk slipping through my fingers, and I was lost, screaming and alone in the void...
=*=
"Hey, not so loud, Jim... Wake up!"
Felix's smiling, beautifully exotic face filled my field of vision as I opened my eyes. Evening starlight streamed in around her from the open door as she bent over my bunk in her night dress. She pressed a finger to her lips, her emerald eyes twinkling with laughter. "Follow me," she whispered.
I sat up, covered in sweat, and buried my head in my hands. I looked up, and she was still standing there, her smiling face framed by dim white light and her thick, dark hair.
"Come on," she hissed, "Leandro's up top. He's got a plan for when the others wake."
I stood up, not answering, and numbly followed her up the stairs onto the deck. It was dark, dimly lit by the lantern of the helmsman above us. The sky was the way it usually was - starry, but not so incredible as...
I looked at Felix. Smiling, she stuck her tongue out at Leandro and tossed me the rope. No trace of the daggers she'd been digging into my heart through her eyes. I could just make out the shape of her lips in the night, and I bit my own.
"Still dreaming, Hawkins?" Leandro asked, gamely slapping me on the back. Felix laughed, and I gave Leandro a feeble grin. He, too, was himself.
I nodded, half-joking, half-serious. "Yeah."
Author's Note: Hey, thanks to treasureplanet-gurl and H2o for the reviews! Thanks for enthusiasm to H2o in particular. I think you should know, though, that I'm a girl. I kind of challenged myself to write in male first-person POV. Am I doing a good job? ':) Haha, thanks again...