My eyes widened and I stepped away from her. I started to laugh. "You have got to be kidding me! I'm not 5 anymore Mom, you can't scare me!" She reached out for me, her hands shaking terribly. "No…I'm not kidding you Delphi…" Suddenly there was a knock on the door. We froze.
"I'll get it!" Jarvis called out as he ran down the steps, two at a time.
"No! Jarvis!" I shouted but he was already at the door and throwing it open. The house fell deathly silent.
"What's going on?" Davvid stepped over the threshold, two fishing rods balanced on his wide shoulders.
"Nothing, nothing's going on," I said quietly. "What're you doing here?" He extended a fishing rod towards me.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go fishing, you know the best stuff comes out at night." I swallowed.
"Erm, sure." As I followed him out of the house, I threw a glance back at Mom. She was still shaking, obviously unnerved by President Paylor's message.
Sitting on the small pier, I kicked my feet through the still lukewarm waters. I glanced over at Davvid who concentrating intensely on the end of his line. My heart raced as my eyes glided over the planes of his face. I couldn't help once again to notice how handsome he was. His strong jaw that I longed to run my fingers over, his full lips that I had always dreamed to kiss, the way his eyes glittered in the silky smoothness of the moonlight. I sighed and turned back to my own fishing rod. Feeling a pull on the end, I grasped it tightly and pulled. The fish leapt out of the water and landed on top of me, taking the wind out of me. I hooked my fingers into its gills and slammed it onto the salty floor of the pier. Davvid chuckled behind me and I swear I could feel the happiness radiating off of him. "Delphi…" I turned my head towards him at his whisper. "There's a reason why I asked you to come fishing with me." I stopped breathing. Is he going to say what I think he's going to say? Oh please say what I'm thinking you're going to say. "Well, you know how we've been friends a long time," I nodded. "I was wondering if you could do something for me." My mouth gaped open.
"Anything. I'd do anything for you Davvid."
"Could you-" His words were broken off as a massive wave crashed over us, soaking us to the skin. When it receded, I frowned. It had taken my fish with it. I wrung out my hair and let it drip lazily around my shoulders. I marvelled at the sight of the small droplets of salt water shimmering in his hair and on his skin. I cleared my throat. "So, what did you want me to do?" He looked down at the decking then back up at me.
"Nothing, nothing. The moments passed." He picked up his rod and stormed off.
For the second time that day, I went into my home. They only difference was that Jarvis' knife set wasn't on the table. It was eerily quiet, I couldn't even hear Jarvis throwing his knifes against the wall. "Mom? Jarvis? Anybody home?" I called out apprehensively. I shrugged, pulled off my boots and set them by the door. I padded up the stairs in my socks and silently opened my bedroom door. I closed it and leant against the old wood. "I've gone mad." I murmured. Not bothering to change out of my salt-soaked clothes, I collapsed into bed. That night, I had a strange dream.
Running, I don't know who from or where to, but I'm running. A loud growl echoes around the forest and I run faster. Tree branches snag in my hair and twigs scratch at my face. The ground feels cold but also hot beneath my naked feet. A tree root rises below me and I fall. Curling into a ball, I hope whatever's chasing me leaves. The sound of an animal sniffing appears around my head. I open my eyes and scream. A large mountain lion hovers above me, its teeth bared. As it's about to bite down on my neck, a howl pierces the air and the cat bounded away. I sat up panting. What was all that for? And what was it that scared the mountain lion away?