And so I thought I won't update this Friday because of some stupid rules. T_T Oh but here I am, with over 3, 000+ words in this chapter. Sweet~! I'm trying to update weekly so please watch out for every new update! :D I also turned 'on' the anonymous reviews for any visitor who like to review my story. Just put in your name and stick with it until the very last so that I may be able to know you with your review. :)
littleLaralevin: No, I'm not that sick with your review last chapter with the compliment. Every review of yours makes me happy and inspired on writing this. You, too are very patient and awesome reader, if I say so myself. Thanks! :)
. . . If only Evermore has more fan population. /Sigh
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It couldn't be really that, right?
With my foot on the gas, I unconsciously stomp harder than hard as it seems that I want to run – no, escape as soon as possible. Trying to flush what chill and awful aura I've felt earlier, I focused on driving as I enter an accustomed place to me.
I gave my deepest regards to the guard who easily (as usual) who let me pass the entrance with no effort. Turning around the corner, I saw the same familiar and welcoming home of Ever. I parked by the side, got off the car and paced my way to Ever's front steps.
Staring at the pathway, I gaze far with my eyes.
I can't wait idly in the school. But I can wait here with all of my time.
Something dark and frightening is in there. Something that I see normally like, every day or often, but in this case, it is not 'normal' to me because of the way it sent chill to my spine and giving my guts a bad feeling.
That 'something' is called as an Ourobouros, an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail.
It often represents self-reflexivity or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself, the eternal return, and other things perceived as cycles that begin anew as soon as they end. It can also represent the idea of primordial unity related to something existing in or persisting before any beginning with such force or qualities it cannot be extinguished.
In other words, it embodies eternity; a symbol of unity of all things; the cycle of life and death.
But move from the legends and mythological histories, it is a sigil (comes in physical, mental and virtual), usually made up of a complex combination of several specific symbols or geometric figures, each with a specific meaning or intent. The Ourobouros is a seal, the basic mandala (circle or centre point) in Alchemy.
To avoid bleeding of unnecessary blood spill, the point is a tattoo of the Ourobouros is tattooed anew on one of Ever's friends – Haven.
Humans can't know or rather have that (experts like scientists and such know, yeah cool and stuff, but they really don't) except for someone like me who is an expert, not to brag, but I do know things about that. Things that is universal and ungraspable by humankind.
Haven can't possibly know about that, and will never unless…
"How'd you get past the gate guard?" Ever's voice slapped me back to reality from my deep thinking that almost made you drown.
I smile care-freely as it seems to clear the sky of clouds and erase all doubts. "Charm and an expensive car works every time." I laughed as I kid, brushing the seat and wrinkles of my dark designer jeans and following Ever inside. "So, how was your day?"
Ever shrugs and balances her disobedience and reason for letting me – a stranger supposedly her boyfriend – inside the house. Breaking the number one rule: Never invite a stranger in. That's so sad.
I gaze at her, trying to focus with two significant things. Oh so I was thinking that it's probably because of…
"You know, the usual routine," She finally says, winning her reason over disobedience. "The substitute vowed to never return, Ms. Machado asked me to never return." She stole a glance from me, as I nod to point out that I'm listening.
Grabbing my elixir fast as I feel the loss of strength and every battery in my body, I took my bottle slowly, opening it while Ever heads for the kitchen, pokes her head in the fridge and asks, "What about you? What'd you do?"
Knowing that she'll offer me a bottle of water, I refused and shook my head as I drink my crimson drink. "Went for a drive, surfed, wait for the bell to ring so I could see you again." I said, smiling.
"You know you could've just gone to school and then you wouldn't have had to wait for anything." She has a point.
"I'll try to remember that tomorrow." I laugh childishly.
She leans against the counter, twisting her cap around and around, nervous about what to do with the only guy – me – in her pretty spacious house. "You wanna go outside and hang by the pool?" She made her decision and says it, thinking the fresh air and open space might calm her nerves.
But I have another thing in mind. "I'd rather go upstairs, and check out your room." I said, taking her hand. "How do you know it's upstairs?" She asks, squinting at me. Somehow, squinting becomes rather often, right?
I just laugh, asking the common question for the simple answer. "Aren't they always?"
She hesitates for a second and thinks of a way to evict my plea politely. But I squeezed her hand gently, and beam the most irresistible smile that I thought she would refuse when I said, "Come on, I promise I won't bite." Inviting her with my warm touch and all, she hopes for the better that Riley isn't up in her room and raiding it.
"Omigod, I am so sorry! I so don't want to fight with – oops!" Riley says, jumping from the den the moment we reached the top of the stairs. She stops short and gapes, darting darts between us. Looks like there's a sister fight that happened earlier.
I act as if I didn't see dead people everywhere and said, "Looks like you left your TV on." I went into the den, stealing glances stealthily at Riley who's skipping alongside me, who even gave two very enthusiastic thumbs up as she criticized me from head to toe to her dear glaring older sister.
If I could just laugh or chuckle lightly, I can do it right now.
I sat comfortably on the couch instead as Ever shows begging with her eyes to her little sister to leave as I gaze around incoherent-like. As if insulting Ever, Riley even plops down with me on the couch and places her feet on my knees.
If only the little girl is still alive, I am honoured to be her older brother, too (but not beating Ever to it, of course) because I always wanted to have a sibling and to know what it feels like.
Ever stormed her way into the bathroom and seems to be furious with Riley for not taking the hint, for overstaying her visit. I gaze over to my right simply, where Riley pricks my ear gently, observing such a young girl, despite her age, cannot sacrifice the time that she gives to her sister now. She knows that she breaks certain rules of staying on Earth and how maybe Summerland doesn't notice it yet…
Being this care-free, playful and cheerful hides the truth. But, not forever.
Because sooner or later, Riley has to wave goodbye even if she doesn't want to. Even if she closed her eyes and say 'no' to the blinding truth, Ava just pointed it out, hours ago. No wonder when she popped out from the stairs earlier, she's apologizing to Ever. All because of her self-realization with Ava's helps.
Ever goes inside her room, rushing through the door. "Let me show you the balcony." She mumbles, anxious to remove me from Riley's side. "The view's amazing."
I shake my head and pat the cushion near her dead sister. "Later."
Riley jumps and cheers and I touched my knee. Even if Riley's dead, she really gives off presence. And itch, out of her dangling legs. She leans at my neck, observing how I move so simply and careful, that she thought I don't own the couch to myself, which I must be doing.
After some seconds, she says, "Um, I left my water in the bathroom," looking pointedly at Riley and turning to leave, thinking she'll follow if she knows what's good for her.
The child's a child so I stood up instead, not wanting Riley to leave. "Allow me." I maneuver between the couch and table in such a careful way that clearly avoids Riley's dangling legs.
Gaping behind my back, Riley did as Ever gawks at her. The next thing I knew is when I turned back, the girl is gone. "All set." I said, tossing Ever the bottle and sit on the couch so freely. She still gawks at me, believing that's impossible that I saw her dead sister.
I smile as I saw her still gawking, "What?"
Ever shakes her head and stares at the TV while I glance over her pretty spacious room, grinning.
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"So, would you please just explain how you do it?"
Ever asks me with her serious eyes, which she tried to hide her curiosity in that case, while we're sitting outside, curled up on the lounge chair.
She tries to stuff the cheese-flavored triangular food in her mouth, wondering why she is the only one who eats the pizza with the usual 'pick, pick – move the food around – take a bite – take some more' but while she fills, mostly I just sip my red liquid.
Makes her think that I eat like a supermodel and not just a guy; that made me burst into a chuckle. "Do what?" I ask innocently, arms wrapped loosely around her as my chin rest softly on her shoulder.
Ever finally bursts from her aura of curiosity. "Do everything! Seriously. You never do homework, yet you know all the answers; you pick up a brush, dip it in paint, and voila, the next thing you know you've created a Picasso that's even better than Picasso! Are you bad at sports? Painfully uncoordinated? Come on, tell me!"
She tugs my shirt, hoping to get some answers. Somehow, Ever wants to know things about me – firstly, with the bad things that I could possibly screw up. I sighed, thinking of a thing, a field or a category where I fail.
"Well, I've never been much good at baseball." I confessed, pressing my lips to her ear. Ever crunches her eyebrows as my lips broke into a curving grin that drops her expectations. "But, I am a world-class soccer player and I'm fairly skilled at surfing, if I say so myself."
"Must be music, then." Ever shrugs as she tries to find a hole in me by going through notes and staffs. "Got a tin ear?"
"Bring me a guitar and I'll strum you a tune. Or even a piano, violin, or saxophone will do." I shut my eyes, pressing my lips together and readies to hum a sound.
"Then what is it? Come on, everyone sucks at something! Tell me what you're bad at." Ever pushes in frustration.
Why does she want to know those? Often, I can see myself in her mind as a strange new guy with a mysterious and enigmatic aura around him that's so gorgeous, so awesome that she can't even believe that there's a person who's this perfect. I'm always amused and curious with her thoughts about me.
There's no hurt in asking.
"Why do you want to know this?" I ask, pulling her close, wanting to forget everything that rushes up in my brain like a tidal wave. "Why do you want to wreck this perfect illusion you have of me?"
Ever mumbles true, in a childish way in the end that wants to persuade me to spill the beans already. "Because I hate feeling so pale and meager in comparison. Seriously, I'm so mediocre in so many ways, and I just want to know that you suck at something too. Come on, it'll make me feel better."
I smell her ambrosial hair, my voice deepening what I want to protest. "You're not mediocre."
"Just one thing, please? Even if you have to lie, it's for a good cause, my self-esteem."
Ever: 1, Me: 0.
Once again, she won.
She tried to turn to see me but I gripped her tighter and hold her in place, kissing the tip of her ear as I whispered in surrender. "You really want to know?"
Ever nods.
Like a rogue wave, memories flood in my head. Pain revives itself in my chest, wanting me to choke. My bosom swells, clogging me with sadness.
I've been here, walking earth alone outlandishly, with all my old self – stubborn, pride and everything bad you can think of (Okay, so I'm just a lost black sheep). Until I went to a rich friend's party and I saw her – her blue hat hiding her shy clear eyes and her golden curls with her beauty unnoticed by anyone else.
We were lovebirds back at that time, hiding our relationship for civilization is against a noble-servant love. At the time we were about to see each other in a place outside her master's home, I saw her as a cold corpse, hit-and-run over by a carriage in the way as she tried to go to me.
I was hopeless, with no dreams and hopes. Until my eyes laid on her again, in a body that's hers, but not hers. Every generation, that girl was reincarnated again and again after her every death, I searched for her and always find her dead even before we are a couple, so now…
I'm afraid of losing her again.
"I suck at love."
She laughs nervously. "Um, care to elaborate?" Hoping that's not a subject related to Drina, that we both want to avoid.
"I just always end up disappointing." I finally said after a drawn of air so deep, so everlasting. I shrugged, refusing to say anything about it more.
"But you're only seventeen." Ever moves out of my arms and faces me. I shrugged. If only she knew how old really am I. "So how many disappointments could there be?"
I turned her back around, that this topic can be discussed next time. I bring my lips to her ear, whispering, "Let's go for a swim."
One more sign of how perfect Damen is, he keeps a pair of trunks in his car.
I smile as we are wasting time in a fun way by their pool.
"Hey, this is California, you never know when you'll need them," I said after I noticed her comment in mind, standing at the edge of the pool and smiling at her. "Got a wet suit in the trunk too; should I get it?"
"I can't answer that." Ever says, wading in the deep end, steam rising up all around. "You just have to see for yourself."
I inch toward the very edge and pretend to dip my toe, testing the water in a pretentious way.
"No testing, only jumping," Ever scolds.
"May I dive?" I asked like a kid in a polite way.
"Cannonball, belly flop, whatever." Ever laughs as I dashed, going into an arcing dive. I popped beside her. "Perfect." I ducked back and dive, swimming as I realized that she was waiting for a kiss before I did it.
Ever follows and I hold her close, wanting to make up for making her swallow her pride. I gaze at her. "Much better."
"Scared of the deep end?" Ever smiles nicely, her toes barely touching the bottom as she teases me.
"I was referring to your outfit. You should dress like this much often." She gazes down at her white body in her white bikini and tries not to feel overly insecure next to mine. "Definitely a big improvement over the hoodies and jeans." I laugh.
"But I guess you gotta do what you gotta do, right?" I said, referring to her protection from dizzy-making auras and colours of the rainbow that gives headaches. But instead I continued as I smiled.
"Obviously it protects you from the wrath of Stacia and Honor. They're not too keen on competition." I tuck her yellow hair behind her ear and smooth the side of her face.
"Are we competing?" She asks. I gaze at her for a long time, observing her mood swings as she suddenly moved away.
"Ever, there was never any contest." I said, following her. But she ducks underwater and swims toward the ledge, grabbing hold and wriggling out. She takes the guts to say words before they evaporate when I come near.
"How can I possibly know anything when you run so hot and cold?" She says, her hands trembling as she just wants to reclaim our nice and romantic evening with no stuffs about this.
"I mean, one minute you're gazing at me in – in that way that you do, and the next thing I know you're all over Stacia." She fights to catch her breath and watches as I move out of the pool as I move toward hers.
"Ever, I –" I close my eyes and sigh. I didn't realize that I've crossed the line and hurt her. I cannot forgive myself for what I've done. Then, that means, at that time, she already has feelings for me. I opened my eyes again, moving toward her and explained.
"It was never my intention to hurt you. Truly. Never."
I slide my arms around her and tried to make her face me. I looked into her eyes of blue and said, "Not once did I set out to hurt you. And I'm sorry if you feel that I played with your feelings. I told you I'm not so good at this sort of thing."
I smiled, hoping she forgave me as I put my fingers onto her wet hair and plucks a single red tulip. She stares at me, trying to figure out where or how I did it, because I have no shirt, pockets on my short and any possible place I could've pulled it from.
"How do you do it?" Ever asks, holding her breath, knowing damn well it didn't come from her ear. Somehow, she gets too irritated on figuring out how I do it.
"Do what?" I smile, as my arms encircled her waist and pulled her closer.
"The tulips, the rosebuds, all of it?" She whispers, trying to ignore the feel of my hands on her shy skin, how my touch makes her warm, sleepy; verging on dizzy.
"It's magic." I smile at Ever.
She pulls away and reaches for a towel, wrapping it tightly around her. "Why can't you ever be serious?" She asks, wondering what she'd gotten herself into, and if there's still time to retreat.
"I am serious." I mumbled in a deep tone, pulling on my T-shirt and reached for my keys as Ever shivers in her cold damp towel, watching speechless.
I head for the gate and waved over my shoulder before blending with the dark night as I called, "Sabine's home."
A/N: Just tried writing Author's Notes again. /Laugh
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