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Chapter 5: Alluring Reminiscences

Consciousness possessed Sara. She opened her eyes to a new day and saw Merlock peacefully sleeping at her side. Ever so tenderly she placed a hand on his forehead. His fever was not as bad as it was the day before, but then his state worried her. Yet, his appearance made her smile. He looked so handsome that Sara felt herself blushing as she looked at him. She touched his curls, delighting in their softness. She looked around and noticed that all that was left of the fire were cold gray ashes. She examined the crystal room and stood up to approach a window. She peered into it. There was no sign of the heavy raindrops that had hit the place a day ago. All that met her eyes were beautiful crystalline buildings outside. There were also flowery trees decorating the surroundings, and winged beings in activity were visible at a distance. She greatly enjoyed the sight of the soothing environment. Suddenly, her world turned black.

"Guess who," went the familiar voice of the owner of the palms which covered her eyes.

"Merlock," she replied.

"Correct," he said as he removed his hands from her face.

She turned, her gaze meeting his. He put his hands gently on her shoulders.

"This place is beautiful, isn't it?" said Merlock.

"Yes," she answered. "Hey, you should lie down and rest, Merlock! You're still sick."

Sara led him back to the blanket. He lay down and she knelt beside him.

"Love strengthens me," he said, making her blush.

He held her hands and slowly pulled her until their faces were centimeters apart. He closed his eyes and puckered his lips. Sara was surprised but then she admitted deep inside her heart that she also wanted to do this, to kiss him. So she prepared herself to surrender to him.

Just then, the sound of a knock on the door caused them to jerk away from each other and frown because their lips did not even get to meet. The door was then opened by Hyacinth, accompanied by a female winged being who was carrying a silver tray containing two bowls of soup, a small loaf of bread, a bunch of grapes, and a pair of large glasses of water.

"Good morning. Here's your breakfast," Hyacinth said, smiling, making his cheeks seem plumper than ever. He resembled a cherub.

"Thank you," both Sara and Merlock said as Hyacinth's companion gracefully walked towards them and placed the tray at their side.

"You are certainly welcome," Hyacinth replied, and then he left together with the other fairy, who closed the door.

Merlock sat up and picked up a bowl of soup. Sara took hers, too. They began to eat it with the bread.

"This is the most delicious soup I've ever tasted," Merlock said.

"I think so too. Whoever cooked this must be a true culinary arts expert. If they are to give us this kind of food everyday, you will be able to recover immediately," replied Sara.

They finished the soup to the last drop and the bread to the final crumb. They started to consume the grapes. They found out that the fresh little fruits were inexpressibly sweet, that they left nothing on the tray but the seeds.

After they drank water, Sara told Merlock to lie down again and use her lap as a pillow. Merlock did so and laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" asked Sara.

"You remind me of my mother. She treats me like a prince whenever I'm sick."

"Your mother? You make me curious. What is she like?"

"She has blonde hair, red eyes, and almost white skin. She can be strict, especially with grades, but then she lets me, my brothers and my sister do what we wish to. She sings with great skill. Her name is Angel," Merlock said, his eyes wandering.

"Grades? You mean you were all trained to earn straight A's in school?"

"Uh-huh. And when I became a member of the Bureau of Time and Space, she insisted that I continue my studies through an online school program. And that's exactly what I have not been attending to lately."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Merlock," said Sara, with concern in her tone of voice.

"Why?"

"It's my fault we ended up in this world. If it had not been for me, you would not be here."

"Sara, it's okay. My mother won't kill me for missing a few days of study."

"I hope so. Gosh, I wonder how many days I too have been absent in class!"

"I'm sure your family is doing their best to come up with reasons for your nonattendance. Better yet, we can anticipate that the bureau is on the lookout for us."

"It's unlikely that they'll find us though. I think we're in another dimension."

After that, silence filled the room for a moment.

"Tell me more about your family," said Sara, her eyes gleaming at the chance to know Merlock better.

"My father's name is Mark. He has light purple hair, like mine. His eyes are light green and his complexion is the same as my mother's. His unequaled sense of humor is highly valued in our family. But when he gets angry, everybody shudders."

"If I may ask, if both of your parents have fair skin, why is yours blue?"

"My father was once a human. He was turned into a vampire by my mother. When a human and a vampire have offspring, there is greater percentage that their children's complexion would be azure. I don't know the further explanation for that."

"Oh," was all Sara could say, then she decided to massage his shoulders as she listened to him.

Merlock went on, "My eldest brother is Mieander. As you will see, all our names begin with the letter "M". I'm fifteen now so that would make him . . . nineteen. He is a born leader and is truly dependable. He never loses his patience in teaching us. He has red hair, red eyes, and blue skin.

"My second brother's name is Mycroft. As of the present he is eighteen. He inherited our father's sense of humor. He loves writing stories and engaging in computer games. He has light purple hair, green eyes, and blue skin.

"The third brother is called Mortmain. He is seventeen years old. He likes to take care of little animals like lizards and spiders. He monitors them a lot and makes notes about his discoveries. He has blond hair, red eyes, and blue skin.

"The brother who came before I did is named Muirouwe. He is sixteen years of age now. He is really quiet. Even if we conduct parties, he just leans on the wall with his arms folded on his chest and his eyes partly closed. He once said to me that he could learn things better if he just observes. He will speak only if it's absolutely necessary. His appearance is the same as Mieander's, although Muirouwe's hair is much longer.

"The last two children in our family are fraternal boy-girl twins. They are both thirteen at present. The older one of the two is Magore. He has fair skin, orange hair, and freaky brown eyes. We refer to his eyes like that because none of our ancestors had brown eyes. He sings, and plays the instruments trumpet and guitar. As for my only sister, her name is Melissa Harien Angelica, and she prefers to be called Harien. She has blonde hair, light green eyes, fair skin, and retractable fangs. She paints, sings, and plays the piano. She tries her best to excel in all of her fields of expertise.

"All of us play basketball and know how to handle a particular weapon of choice.

"You know, I miss my family. The last time I've been at home is last Christmas."

"Vampires actually celebrate Christmas?" asked Sara.

"Yes, and most vampires were born on a Christmas Day, including my younger brother and sister."

"You are all interesting. How about you? What keeps you busy?"

"Thinking about you."

Sara's face became red. She let go of his shoulders.

"Sara," said Merlock as he sat, touching her cheek.

Before she could reply, his lips collided with hers in a warm kiss. It felt like hours had passed before he stopped.

"I love you Sara," he said, staring into her eyes.

"Merlock," she replied as she embraced him.

"Hmmm?" he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Thanks for everything you've done for me."

"Of course, I am willing to do more for you."

"I mean, I love you too."

They kissed again, this time passionately.

At noontime, Hyacinth alone came into the room to bring them food.

"Did you like your breakfast?" he asked.

"Best one I've had," answered Merlock.

"You make me glad. I cooked the soup myself."

Hyacinth gave them each a plate of steak and a glass of water.

"I hope you like this," Hyacinth said with a smile.

"Probably more than we can say," replied Sara.

"I also wish that Merlock will be in good condition tomorrow night. We will have one of our most-awaited festivals and I will appreciate it if you can attend."

"What will the festivity be exactly about?" asked Merlock.

"Astrid's Vanishing Day Phenomenon. There would be music, dancing, and the most appetizing delicacies."

"Thank you for inviting us," Sara said, even though she had no idea about the celebration.

Hyacinth nodded then he exited the room. The couple ate.

"We will be able to go. I think I'm feeling good already," said Merlock.

"I wonder what a fairy festival is like."

"Maybe we will be happy there. At least this world is not as frustrating as the previous ones."

"What do you think about the keepers of the keys?" asked Sara.

"They seem very young. Cerville, Jascha, Ylla, and Konimu look as if they are about thirteen or fourteen years old."

"Hyacinth appears younger, about ten to twelve at most," she replied, nodding.

"I really can't guess who is behind all of this. But we will win against him."

Sara just shrugged, then continued eating.

"How come we always seem to forget to ask Hyacinth about the key?" was a sudden thought which entered Sara's mind.

Later that night, when Merlock was asleep, Sara tiptoed her way out of the room. The bulbs lighting the halls were not yet turned off so she easily navigated through the area, searching for Hyacinth. No other winged beings came into view, so she concluded that they must be in slumber already. Just then, she heard music. She walked toward where the sound came from, ascending endless flights of spiral staircase. She found herself face to face with Hyacinth, who ceased playing the violin.

"Why are you here Sara?" the fairy asked.

"The tune of your instrument cast a spell on my spirit."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"You better go back to sleep."

"Right."

"Close your eyes."

She did so. Hyacinth mentioned words in a language she did not understand. When she opened her eyes, she realized that she was back in the room with Merlock.

"I failed to remember to ask him about the key again," she thought.

She could not comprehend how she did not recall about the key when she had a conversation with Hyacinth. But then, she felt so tired that she chose to be in the realm of dreams as for the time being.

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