Welcommmmmme again, devoted crowd, faithful audience, loyal readers ! (any other synonyms, guys ? =) )
Waow, FOUR reviews for last chapter ! Am I dreaming or what ? A grand THANK YOU to Ana, Lauren, Samantha (not Cloverfield… though…?) and the "revenant" Yuri, who got me a heart attack as I thought he was a ghost. XD You guys seriously made my day(s) with all your positive feedback. God bless ya all !
Ya know, I'm positively enthusiastic abt this story now. More than I was when I started it and then wrote the first chapters. It actually has become one of my own fav's. But I think SHADOWLAND still holds the pick of the bunch. What abt ya ?
All my nicest thoughts and caring vibes go to my bestie, Masterminor (a.k.a. Sparx), who is currently in hospital. May you recover quicker than Speedy can run, my dear ! All my best wishes for that ! And thanxxxx for being such an awesome friend !
Ana : *cough*
Me : ?
Ana : *cough cough*
Me : here, take that coughing-fit syrup…
Ana : *scowls*
Me : What ? Sorry, I got no Dresoprin left for now, so drink up that damn syrup…!
What now ? Oh yes :
…and Joe Y. !
/
20 / RISE AND SHINE *-*-*-* (SAM AND NAT) *-*-*-*
/
{( Original prankster – The Offspring )}
Danny was reading some story on his laptop, with sustained attention. His eyes were literally glued to the screen, and all the surrounding noises couldn't distract him from his captivated read.
He therefore failed to notice that quiet footsteps were coming his way.
The discrete footsteps stopped right behind him. Another pair of eyes started reading.
The jock was still deep into the text, focused as could be, eager to know how the plot ended, as this was the final chapter.
He swallowed his saliva and both eyes and pupils dilated imperceptibly more.
Now this is incredible. Totally incredible. Damn, that writer really is –
"What so interesting are you reading, Dan ?"
He briskly started on his chair, almost jumping up. His heart missed a beat and his temperature immediately sank.
He started to turn around, stirred up…
"Gee, Sammy ! You scared –"
…and stopped, as he goggled at his teammate. He didn't believe what his eyes showed him.
"Waow, Sammy, you look… gorgeous today ! Someone will be lucky, I guess !"
"Sure he will !" she replied with a grin.
And indeed she was. A light yellow blouse, a skirt of a darker yellow, black leather thigh boots. An emerald necklace ornamenting her neck, many bracelets adorning her wrists, heart-shaped earrings embellishing her ears, several rings gracing her fingers. Red nail polish, smoky eye shadow and gloss completed the splendid scene.
Danny had taken a second look, which lasted longer. He finally whistled.
"I kinda envy Nat…"
She chuckled lightly, a soft blush creeping on her cheeks.
"So, Danny, what is that apparently fascinating story you're reading ? You were so absorbed into it that you didn't even hear me approach the table. So ?"
He was the one blushing now.
"It's… hum… some action story, actually !"
He had finished his sentence so quickly that it sounded absolutely not natural. Anybody alert would have noticed that. And Sam was pretty much the alert kind.
"And what is it about ?" she smoothly asked, the grin lingering on her features.
The jock felt cornered. He decently couldn't let her know… could he ?
"It's about… about a girl and a boy who… well, have a P.E. lesson… and they manage some impressive… hum, moves and efforts… yeah, that's it…"
The white crescent remained shining in the black face, creating such a beautiful contrast.
She was playing with him, aware of how much she kept on embarrassing him.
"Sounds interesting indeed." Her voice was smoother than ever, and her smile wider as well. She knew she had the upper hand. "And what's the title of the story ?"
He licked his lips.
"It's P.E."
"Only P.E. ? Not longer than that ?" she asked, decided to be a josher until the end. Her eyes cast him one more teasing look, her grin being replaced by an elegant smirk.
He felt the embrace of heat augment around all his body, and sweat building up endlessly on his forehead.
"Yeah, only P.E."
She smiled again, determined to push him to his defensive limits, in the corner, where he wouldn't be able to fake anymore.
"Okay…" she trailed, making it clear she was unconvinced. "Now do you mind if I take a look. You interested me with that training story."
The jock's expression showed panic.
"No, wait ! It's kinda violent ! I mean, in the way they perform some gym figures. You may not like it ! Believe me !"
He was almost toast, she just knew it. And she relished at this little torturing game. Nothing cruel, she was just being mischievous, out of excellent mood.
"Are you sure I can't read it ?" she questioned, the smile not leaving her lips despite the interrogative turn of her sentence.
"No, better not. Trust me." Danny whispered, his face red with sheer unease.
Gotcha, "The Danny" !
She crossed her arms and faked a sulky face.
"Okay, fine."
She looked him square in the eyes, still making believe she was pouting for good.
He felt somewhat guilty about her reaction, and thought of some justification.
"Sorry, it's just that… I know you and know you won't like it anyway. No hard feelings ?"
The smile returned on her lips.
"No, no hard feelings. Oh, and by the way…"
She leaned close to his face before speaking on, her amber locked with his emerald.
"…don't you think that, in the chapter titled Flash of Bliss, Dixxy somewhat exaggerated my flexibility, with that "reverse C" shaping of my body ? I'm not THAT flexible, eh ?"
His green orbs goggled so much that they seemed close to leaving their sockets.
"What ?! But how do you know… ?!"
She laughed wholeheartedly.
"I happened to read above your head, right before, when you were so absorbed for noticing someone had discretely sneaked up behind you. And I immediately recognized the fiction : P.E. PUSSYCALL EDUCATION. Nice story, don't you think ?"
She winked at him.
He was dumbfounded to the limits, and she laughed up her sleeve at his so funny face.
"You… you read that story ?!"
She once more chuckled elegantly.
"Danny, I did read ALL the MBC stories on Fanfiction. All, even the M-rated. So don't imagine you'll be able to fool me on the matter."
His agape mouth was definitely too amusing to spot.
"Oh, and one last thing. I'm sure you'd be very eager to experience all that there is in… P.E., as you shortly called it, but sorry to disappoint you : if I ever try all this, and perhaps I will, it alas won't be with you, but with Nat. He's the one to own my body now."
The red member was unable to utter a single sound, his jaw refusing to close up.
Sam laughed one last time at his stunned expression, before concluding.
"Right, I think I'll leave you to your… intensive training, mmmmh ! Have fun !"
She gave her teammate the brightest grin, accompanied by a very foxy wink.
The leader turned round and left the room in a laid back manner, her heels producing the most attractive sound.
The African-American still couldn't help smiling inwardly when she thought of how nicely she had been teasing him, pulling his leg and leaving him astounded as he realized she had been gently making fun of him.
She liked being with Danny, but never so much than when she could trick him. =)
In the other room, the scarred teenager felt kind of sheepish, realizing that she had seen what he was reading so avidly. And how good she had been messing with him, pretending she didn't know about the story by asking questions, to make him get more and more embarrassed !
At first, he was a tad resentful to her for her being that sadistic, cornering him to the extreme and making him panic when she menaced to read that story… that she already knew about ! She had been playing with him, but he had felt so uneasy about it that his whole impression about it was negative… at first !
But after a while, after brooding over it for minutes and minutes, he began to smile.
Shaking his head, he realized what a fool he had been. And how gifted she was at joshing.
Alright, she had made a fool of him, but that wasn't mere mischief. She was laughing with him, not against him. It had all been a friendly prank, all things considered.
He went on reflecting on the whole situation and ended up on a mature conclusion : after all the hardships Sam had been through, wasn't it finally reassuring and pleasing to see her back in high spirits, joking and teasing ? It was that Samantha he had been missing, after all, so he should be happy to see her back.
Even if that meant being caught off guard and becoming the victim of her little game.
He snorted at this thought.
And mentally thanked God for bringing Sam to her original self.
(A/N : you may wonder why this part here. Here it is : after all the tough moments Sam has been through, after all she's been suffering, enduring, going as far as risking her life, I really felt like it was time to show her happy again, and even mischievous. And as you all know, Danny and Sam have this particular relationship that makes the two often tease each other, when not bicker. So it felt only natural to write a part where the original Sam is back in full shape and in the best of moods. The poor girl deserved some nicer time, some cool moment in which the readers would be pleased to see her back to her own self and happy to live… again. Makes sense to ya, Folks ?)
/
{( My opponent – J-Diggs )}
"Where is it ? Where is it ? Is that the building over there ?" shrilled the bubbly blonde.
She was almost jumping on her grandfather's knees, at the back of the car. On her left was Albert and on her right, Chris, and both smiled as they saw the young alien that hyper.
"Hey, Schloumba, please stop agitating like that ! We will find it, don't be so impatient !" advised Hugo Smith.
"Sure !" added Danny, who was in the passenger's seat, on the front. "You've just made me deaf from left ear, Cath' ! So just go on and I'll be deaf from both."
Although she was busy driving, Samantha found the time to answer that one.
"Can't be so much worse than being blind from both eyes, eh ? Talking with full knowledge of that fact…"
But although this referred to one of the worst periods of her life – maybe even THE worst one… -, the brunette nevertheless laughed as she finished her sentence. This proved her friends that gloomy times definitely were behind for her, and that she was back in the highest spirits. For if even her past misfortune became subjects to jokes in her mouth…
"So glad to hear you laugh again, and even laugh on that bad time ! I knew you were stronger than that, Sam !" exclaimed Cathy.
The leader turned the wheel to the left and the car moved into the parking lot.
"Yeah, I'm myself surprised I can find the will to joke on all that ! But it's now all behind for me, and honestly, you better laugh on your problems rather than pity yourself, right ?"
The African-American parked the car.
"End of the ride, everyone ! Let's not waste time ! It would make a wrong impression."
They all got themselves moving after the yellow member had uttered that. They soon were all out and Sam closed the car, then handed the keys to her doctor.
"Thank you, Sam !" Albert told her. As their friendship bonds grew stronger, he had given up her full firstname to adopt the short form under which everybody knew her : Sam. "But why did you insist on driving my car to come here ?"
She gave him a bright grin.
"Well, you see, I've really missed my sight for days and days, and since I just got my driver's license, I really wanted to use my eyes for a good long while. And driving is one of those… tasks which require sight a lot. That's why I asked you if you would let me drive your car. And, you know, I've never been so happy to use my eyes. Especially since this is the first time I make a long drive. Did I manage good, by the way ?"
She asked this to no one in particular, her eyes wandering from face to face, waiting for some answer.
"Personally, I think you're a great driver, Sammy !" the jock congratulated her.
They all spoke up to show their agreement to this statement.
"Alright, time to go, now ! They are waiting for us !" the leader commanded. "And Nat certainly is impatient ! I just know he is !"
A tender smile floated on her lips as she said this.
The group walked up to the main building, on the side of which could be seen the following sign : HIGH SCHOOL OF MANORSHIDE. They entered said building and walked up to a spot where several officials were gathered.
One of the latter came their way, smiling wide.
"Good morning ! How can I help you ?" he asked in a friendly tone.
"Good morning, Sir ! We are looking for the Conference Room in which the Intercity Challenge is due to take place. My name is Samantha Cloverfield and I am the Singletown contestant taking part in the event."
The elderly man's face lit up with a smile of delight.
"Oh, of course, Miss Cloverfield ! How nice to meet you ! I am Philip Bishop, dean of Manorshide's High School. It really is a pleasure to have you with us. My Singletown colleague, Mr Donizellos, praised your intelligence and erudition. It is an honor for our Institution to welcome you here, with all your relatives and friends !"
Samantha felt her face lightly heat up.
And here I go blushing ! But what can I say ? His compliments are so nice…
"Thank you very much for your kind words, Sir !" the addressee reacted. "And thank you again for exceptionally postponing the Summer Contest to November ! I am so sorry it couldn't take place in August, as was planned. It is all my fault if it was not possible, and I apologize for this."
The dean smiled wider.
"Oh, please, do not apologize, Miss Cloverfield ! Mr Donizellos told me how sick you had been. I was sorry to hear that and hope you are alright now."
The black teen felt a bit ashamed when she heard this. He thought she had been victim of some sickness, for it was the info he had got from Singletown High School's Principal, who in tuned had been told so by Samantha's parents. The latter had been informed about everything regarding their daughter, who had asked them to tell a lie, for her addiction problems were too embarrassing for her and she preferred a sickness excuse. Her parents had agreed and given the false info to Mr Donizellos, who had kindly asked Mr Bishop if the Summer Contest could be re-scheduled in November, given that to the Singletown contestant was unable to leave her place due to a "serious sickness". Mr Bishop had made no difficulty with this.
"Yes, I am doing just fine. Thank you for your concern, Sir !" the young leader said.
But she still couldn't help feeling shame about the lie.
"Of course, of course ! You are most welcome, Miss Cloverfield ! Once again, it is a pleasure to welcome you in our High School !"
The elderly man suddenly realized that he hadn't said anything to Sam's friends yet. He therefore looked at all of them, smiling on. "Oh, and we are pleased to have you all as well with us, of course ! Now, will you please follow me ? Here, it is this way !"
They soon were in the Conference Room, in which the Intercity Challenges were traditionally held, and Sam saw a relieved Nat walk to them.
"Well, Nathanaël, as you can see, your opponent has arrived !" declared the dean with a smile.
The green-eyed boy kept on staring at Sam, mouth ajar. He had never seen her that good-looking. That… sexy. And just like Danny earlier that day, he just couldn't believe his eyes.
But he finally got a grip on himself and grinned wide at her.
"Yes, I can see that ! Hi Sam ! How are you doing ?"
They shook hands, to the others' surprise.
"Pretty good, Nat ! And you, how are you ?"
His lips stretched higher, showing more teeth.
"Better now ! Far better !"
She felt the blush return on her face.
"Hum, yeah… So, are you ready for the challenge ?"
"More than ready. You ?"
"Same here."
She offered him her nicest grin.
"Good, now you can go on the scene, behind your desks. We will start in a few minutes." Mr Bishop nicely informed the lovebirds.
While Cathy, Chris, Danny, Hugo Smith and Albert went to sit in the room, Nat let Sam walk before him and he was so pleased to admire her figure moving in such an elegant way. She was simply blotting out the light of the sun. (A/N : that last metaphora was inspired by a similar line from a Sting song, courtesy of Mathew Gordon Sumner – his real name).
They soon were in place, both glancing and smiling at each other, every now and then.
The waiting ended when the speaker took his microphone for the announcement.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are pleased to welcome you here in Manorshide High School for our annual Summer Contest, which this year exceptionally takes place in November. We are sorry that the reasons for this can't be disclosed, as they are of personal nature. Now, we will introduce you to the two contestants who will face each other during this exciting event. Will you please first save your heartiest welcome for this year's Singletown challenger, Miss Samantha Cloverfield !"
The crowd loudly clapped and a few even whistled. The African-American slightly nodded to acknowledge the audience's encouragements. Nat couldn't take his eyes off her.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, please warmly cheer for Manorshide's challenger, Mr Nathanaël Wassylom !"
The room again burst into enthusiastic clapping, while Sam was watching him intensely, her heart melting with tenderness. She was so proud of him… and also of competing against him.
When the noise faded away, the speaker continued his speech.
"These two young talented students will now alternatively answer the questions asked by our two judges, and the points will be counted up on the two electronic boards on their respective desks. The value of the points will increase along with the difficulty of the questions. The first challenger to reach 300 points will be declared winner. May the best student win !"
His words were met with another huge clapping session, then it was time to get down to business. The first series of questions had geography as topic.
"Honor to the guest first" said the 1st judge. "Samantha, can you tell me what is the capital of Ecuador ?"
"Quito" the addressee replied without hesitation.
"Good answer. 5 points for you." the man informed her.
"Nathanael, are you able to tell me in which continent is Sierra Leone ?" asked the 2nd judge.
"Africa" he replied immediately.
"Very good. 5 points go to you." the same man said.
The difficulty increased gradually, and the science questions were rather complex.
"Samantha, what is the element corresponding to symbol W ?"
She reflected longer this time.
"Tungsten" she finally replied.
"That's right. 10 points for you."
Bravo, Sweetheart ! You're doing just fine. How happy I am to play this game with you ! I love you, Samantha, more than I imagined I could love a girl !
"Nathanaël, how many digits are currently known for the digit succession of Greek number Pi ?"
He too had to take more time to search his memory.
"I believe… 189" he answered, but his face showed doubt.
"And indeed, it is correct. 10 points as your reward."
Well done, my alien Love ! Your earthly knowledge is excellent ! Pleasure is all mine to compete with you ! I love you, Nathanaël, and I want to live with you, as long as I am breathing !
Then came the sport questions. Samantha felt less confident on this. And as if to show she was right to dread a miss…
"Samantha, how is called a player in the Basque pelota ?"
She got thinking for minutes and minutes, focusing as much as she could. But still, nothing came out of that deep reflection.
"I'm sorry… I ignore the correct answer."
"That's too bad. It was "pelotari".
She slightly winced at this failure, but her face wasn't long to get back to its focused appearance.
The eco-political questions were this time fatal to Nathanaël.
"Nathanaël, can you tell me in which year of the republican calendar was French politician Danton decapitated ?"
The blond boy thought for a long, long time… yet ended up with no clue.
"I'm afraid I can't answer this question…" he merely stated.
"How regrettable ! The correct answer was Germinal 16th, Year II."
The highest points came with the art quiz. They were both above 290 : 294 points for the girl, 293 for the boy. The next pair of questions would therefore tell the audience who would win the competition.
But alas for the Singletown challenger…
"Samantha, if you reply correctly to this question, you will reach 314 points and therefore win. Are you ready ?"
She quickly licked her lips.
"I am."
The judge looked her in the eye for a few seconds before asking his question.
"Samantha, which artistic current does Andy Goldsworthy belong to ?"
No matter the time she spent squeezed her mind for the right info, she had to admit her helplessness on that question.
"I alas have no idea…"
"It is a pity, really. The correct answer was : land art" the 1st judge let her know.
"Nathanaël, you have as well the opportunity to win if you give me the right answer. Are you ready ?" asked the 2nd judge.
He put his glasses back in place on his nose.
"Yes."
There was a small pause.
"Nathanaël, can you tell me in which year, after World War II, the French Film Festival of Cannes couldn't yield any prize list ?"
He's gonna win ! I know he's so fond of cinema, and he attends the Cannes Film Festival each year on TV. It's his favourite film festival. He can't miss that one. Bravo, Honey : you're the new champion !
Minutes passed and passed. Nat was silent, absorbed in his thoughts.
He finally briefly glanced at Sam and opened his mouth.
"I've done my best to remember that info, but… I can't."
Sam's mouth opened and her eyes widened.
No ! That's impossible ! He cannot ignore that one ! I can't believe it ! No !
"Sorry for you. The correct answer was 1968."
"Samantha" the 1st judge addressed her "Once again, you get the opportunity to win the challenge, if you reply correctly to this question. Listen carefully : who was the first woman to enter the French Academy of Literature?"
The leader had difficulties to focus after seeing Nat unexpectedly miss what he possibly couldn't or shouldn't miss.
She finally hesitantly uttered her answer.
"Is it… Marguerite Yourcenar ?"
There was a short silence. Then…
"It is indeed Marguerite Yourcenar. You reach 314 points, and thus win this Intercity Cultural Challenge to become the new Singletown champion ! Congratulations, Samantha !"
The brunette couldn't believe it ! She had won ! She really had !
But her enthusiasm was tempered by something, and it's that something that made her look intently at Nat while the room exploded in a cascade of claps, screams and whistles.
The Rhapsodian merely returned the human her gaze, a large grin adorning his face.
The two judges came shake hands with her, as did the dean. The latter motioned for Sam to follow him to the front of the scene, and when they both stood there, in front of the cheering crowd, he announced in the microphone : "Ladies and Gentlemen, our new Culture Champion, Samantha Cloverfield !" The audience roared louder at this and more yells could be heard.
The yellow member bowed, her so white teeth fully showing, and waved at everybody, stopping longer on her friends when she casually spotted them among the spectators.
Sam turned to Nat, who had remained in the back, behind his desk, clapping like everyone else, and gestured in his direction, hinting that she wanted him near her to the front. He temporized, which made her motion some more to convince him to get by her side.
He finally made up his mind and walked to her. She stretched her arm towards him (A/N : well, isn't Nat supposed to be the stretchable one ? …Okay, I shut up…) and caught his arm, then dragged him beside her and, grabbing his hand, left both his and her hands in the air, which earned them even more racket from the people opposite.
After their glory moment, she let go of his hand and he smiled at her. She acted reciprocally and leaned in to his ear.
"You and I will have a little discussion later, okay ?"
He observed her.
She was smirking and a knowing look haunted her golden orbs.
She knew.
He cleared his throat before reacting to her statement.
"Do you really think it necessary ?"
"I do !" she immediately replied, her fixed gaze intensifying.
Oh yes, she undoubtedly had understood everything…
(A/N : that a cliffie ? Hum… lemme think… I'd go for a YES ! And this to somebody's sheer delight… isn't it, "Bloody" girl ? XDDDD Oh, by the way : except for the Pi question, all the questions-answers are correct ! I didn't invent anything here… except, again, for the Pi Greek number. But it IS true that this number has a very long digit sequence !)
/
{( Everybody loves a happy ending – Tears for Fears )}
They were now all gathered in the Smith house.
The white-haired man had hired the services of a caterer, to celebrate the victory with plenty of food. He knew he could do it no matter who would win, since in any case, Nat and Sam would be present at his place, regardless of who won the contest. The only difference would be the one getting the congratulations.
Danny couldn't help making his awkward move of the week, asking something intimate in front of everybody.
"So, hum, why did you guys shake hands before the challenge, instead of kissing and hugging, as usual ?"
Sam turned to look at Nat, unsure she should say it or not. But it was finally him to confess it all.
"Well, see, Dan, many students consider me as a nerd – which I am, mind you – and think I'll never get a girlfriend. And I thought that if they knew I have one, they would try to embarrass me by making fun of me in front of Sam. And that, I didn't want. So I asked her if she would agree to just shake hands and behave as mere acquaintances, she did and so we acted."
The spiky one pondered this for a few seconds.
"Makes sense to me. But honestly, you look muuuuch better hugging and kissing !"
All burst out when they heard that. It was definitely a merrymaking mood that was "inhabiting" the house that afternoon.
Albert uncorked the bottle of champagne and poured the yellow liquid in all glasses. Even Cathy, who wasn't fond of alcoholic beverages, had decided to make an exception that day.
"And I suggest to have a toast !" announced Albert. "Let's all drink to Sam, winner of the Intercity Challenge, for which she had been working so hard !"
"To Sam !" they all said but her, raising their glasses in her direction. And then tasting how good the bubbly was.
"Thanks, but I've not only been working hard for that event : I've also left much of my health in it ! After all, I almost –"
"Stop, Sam !" the blunette cut her with authority. "Please don't go on ! We are here to celebrate a happy victory, not to recall the darkest times. I'm sure everyone here agrees with me."
"Chris is right, you know, Sam" Cathy confirmed. "We want to cheer you up and have a nice crazy time together. This is not the time and place to bring up the negative memories. We all know you had a hard time for your reviews, but while we all sympathize and empathize, we just don't want to evoke these awful times in a moment supposed to be happy for all."
The yellow member grinned wide to the pink one.
"That's most wisely remarked, Cath' ! I must congratulate for your pertinent analysis. And yes, I admit that we shouldn't mention all this right now. Actually, I should as well not mention it ever again, simply leave it where it needs to stay : behind !"
Albert felt like putting a word in as well.
"That's the right spirit, Sam : one has to look forward, not backwards, in order to be at peace and call one's life happy. The past has to remain what it is : just the past. (A/N : and this line was inspired by a Phil Collins's song, courtesy of Philip Charles Davis Collins) One must not live in one's memories. It's bad. Especially with negative memories. Now, you must focus on what you will do later, how you will continue your studies, how your relationship with Nat will get stronger and stronger, all those positive thoughts."
The patient grinned at her doctor.
"Thank you, Albert. Thank you so much for all your help, your wonderful help ! And sorry again for not listening to -"
"NO !" he interrupted her. "No, I don't want to hear it. You already apologized, I already forgave you, it's all behind now, as you said. This is the present, and the present is happiness, friendship, sharing, caring, loving. It is ONLY positive, so let's not evoke anything negative, shall we ?"
"Doc is right !" exclaimed the jock. "This is no time to be in the doldrums. Let's party, guys, and have fun together !"
Sam nodded but she still wanted to add something.
"Alright, but now that we've drunk to me, I would like to propose another toast : to Nathanaël, who proved such a great opponent." She turned to her boyfriend. "In my opinion, Honey, you are as much a winner as I am. In fact, I consider you the real winner of the contest. You were better than me. You knew more. To you, Nat !"
"To Nat !" repeated all the others, before sipping some more fizz.
"But, Sam, I'm not the winner of the contest. You are, and you know it."
"Are you sure I am ?" she asked playfully, but while her tone sounded teasing, there was seriousness in her stare. And that seriousness let him know she hadn't forgotten about their little discussion. He thought she had forgotten about it, since she hadn't asked him to isolate themselves to have that talk together, from the moment they had arrived at the house until now.
But now, he saw the solemnity hidden in her amber globes, and he knew she hadn't forgotten, and that they most likely would have that conversation not so long from this moment.
"Yes, you are. Of course you are !" he replied, uneasiness now swarming within his body.
The others' gazes went from Sam to Nat and back. And these gazes were worried. What was wrong between Sam and Nat ? What made him uneasy right this minute ?
But before anybody could say something, ask a question or make a remark, the African-American burst into laughter.
"Ah ah ah, come on, don't make such a face, Sweetheart ! I was just pulling your leg. No worry, really ! Will you give me a more relax look, now ?"
She winked at him.
He felt tension leave his body in a flash, and breathed out deeply.
"Gee, my Love, for a minute there, you almost scared me !"
She made a sadistic grimace.
"I-just-love-to-scare-boyfriends !" she said in a fake frightening voice.
All of them guffawed at that, and Sam hugged Nat dearly, him returning the loving embrace.
(…)
The afternoon slowly flowed away and evening was showing the tip of its nose.
That's when the black girl turned to face the white boy.
"Oh, Nat ! How about we go in the garden to watch the sun set ?"
"Sure" he agreed.
So the Earthling and the Rhapsodian stepped out hand in hand and walked for a moment in the garden, then finally turned their heads to the west.
The golden globe was gradually sinking towards the mountains, and it would be only a few minutes before he would "draw the curtain".
"Ain't that beautiful ?" he asked.
"It is" she admitted. "Nat, I don't want to break the magic of the moment, but you have to know I was a tad cross after the contest. I didn't show anything, but… I was upset, yes ! I was smiling, but only half-heartedly. Nat, why did you do it ?"
He cleared his throat.
"Because I wanted you to win. So I pretended I didn't know the answer so that you could reply to another question… and win ! For you deserved the victory more than me."
Sam said nothing but squeezed his hand tighter.
"And I wanted you to win for two reasons" he went on."The first one is that you made a lot of sacrifices in order to win that contest. Not only have you been studying like crazy, but… well, we said we wouldn't mention anything negative today, but if I say "red prison" I know you get it."
"Yes, I do. And you know what ? Chris showed me this morning an article in today's newspaper. It was about the result of our trial against Red Corp., the society making… you know which medicine. It's so rewarding to realize we've agreed to so many efforts to have these people condemned, and that they eventually got the highest incarceration duration. It feels so good to know that we have won."
(A/N : you'll notice that the name of the red medicine is not mentioned twice, and that even me don't write it down now (I used the words "red medicine"). The reason is simple : that stuff has caused so much trouble, but at the same time this is a very positive chapter, therefore I didn't want that negative name to appear in it. It has been banished from this most optimistic chapter !)
The young alien felt his mouth arch in a radiant smile.
He hugged Sam so tightly against him.
"Oh, Darling, I'm so happy to hear that ! You've made it ! You won ! Those troublemakers, those criminals are finally behind bars. I hate them, because of what they indirectly did to you. Because they almost caused…ah damn, we said we shouldn't get back on the dark times ! Let's just leave that crap where it belongs. But just know I'm pleased to no end by that positive outcome. You deserved it !"
She showed him her teeth again, white crescent in a black ocean.
"Thanks a lot, Honey. And what was the second reason for your wishing for my victory ?"
His turn to "unveil" his teeth.
"Don't you guess ?"
Her grin grew bigger.
"I think I do, but I'd like to hear it from your lips."
He put his forehead against hers.
"It's because I love you, of course. I love you more than I imagined I could. But less than I know I will."
She chuckled in a very feminine way.
"If that's not poetic, I don't know what is, then. And as for me, I love you more than I can say but all I can say is that I love you more… always more… and more."
He laughed elegantly.
"Well, we're not too bad, for amateurs-poets, eh ? Say what ?"
She echoed to his laughter.
"Oh yes, definitely. Nat, thank you ! Thank you so very much for your kindness, for your care, your generosity, your protection. Thank you for your fantastic, wonderful, awesome, unique, precious love ! You are in my heart forever, Nathanaël Wassylom !"
He felt his heart melt when he heard all those touching words. He was on cloud 9 and never planned to come off it.
"My endless gratitude for these sweet words. Sweetest of all, actually. Just know that you are in my heart as well, and that I'm the one who must thank you for loving me. I thought I'd never get a girlfriend, or only late in life, and probably a not so good-looking one. And to my great surprise, you came into my life, gorgeous girl with an intelligence like no other… and tenderness like I hadn't seen before ! Thank YOU, thank you for being my girlfriend ! You are my everyday sunshine, Samantha Cloverfield !"
Just then, Sam had an intuition and swiftly turned her head.
"Look, Nat ! The sun is just about to set !"
The light disc was indeed touching the tip of a peak.
The lovebirds watched it slowly disappear, bit by bit, behind the mountain range, casting the last rays of that beautiful day.
It was mesmerizing.
There was magic in the air.
Sam felt Nat's hand tighten on hers, and she tightened hers in response.
The last ray fell upon them, and it was over.
They looked at each other, grinning wider than ever.
"Absolutely splendid, no ?" she asked him.
"Yes. But not the most gorgeous of all views…" he replied, his gaze softening.
She nictated, very slowly, and snorted in a sexy way.
"I love you, Nathanaël !"
"I love you, Samantha !"
They leaned in and, after losing in each other's eyes, her gold merging with his emerald, they let their lips find themselves and become one again. Their eyes gently closed, as they were appreciating to its fullest this tender moment and the warmth of their sealed lips, while their hearts beat in unison, producing the most delicate music ever. They let Love lead the way and abandoned their bodies to its enchanted power, its sweet spells, its soft charms.
And while they were kissing with such tenderness, such intensity, such happiness, above them, far above, the first star had started to shine, its benevolent light caressing the lovers…
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* {( THE END – THE DOORS )} *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*