==Hello everyone! We unexpectedly got school called off today because of high winds (although I have my balcony door open right now and there's nothing happening) so I told myself by noon today I would have the next chapter finished and posted. I was almost successful, but I'm just excited I got it done! It turned out very long and fun to read. I worked on about half of it while I was in Florida because we spent a lot of time driving around. When I went back to school, I tried writing instead of eating lunch and also wrote while backstage of our musical. It's taken me about four hours this morning to get it completely done and polished, and I'm satisfied. I hope you enjoy, too!==
DVBBS - "Never Leave"
We found where we belong and we will never leave here.
Haunted: Collapse into Caliginosity
Chapter 45:
Where We Belong
The sight of Zane made me forget about pictures for a split second. In the middle of a blinding flash of light from the photoshoot equipment, I lurched past Kiersten and her cameramen to tightly embrace him. Feeling his solid build and the fabric of his suit added to my sudden joy. The fact that he was late getting here no longer gave me a wavering pang of worry. A part of me was nervous that something had happened to the Ninja of Ice, but Candy kept assuring me he would arrive at any moment. I was relieved to know my happy side was right all along.
The transparent blonde also hugged Zane, because he caused her to be correct. When he moved, she faded away.
Zane gave my shoulders a brief squeeze. "Did I arrive on time?" his monotone voice questioned.
"Almost, but it's okay," I answered, releasing him. "You haven't missed anything spectacular."
"I take it your injuries haven't hindered anything?"
I lifted the side of my shirt to show him the bandages, smiling. "Everything turned out okay. It won't hurt anything."
His gentle hand caressed the side of my face. "I'm just happy you're okay."
I leaned my cheek into it, my own hand holding it.
"Well you certainly failed to mention how massive he is," Kiersten interrupted, approaching us with her blonde waves pouring from over her shoulders. Her hazel eyes unhinged her desperation for the shurikens, but to hide it, she extended her hand to properly meet Zane. "Kiersten Murray, director," she greeted.
He curiously looked at her hand before giving her his own. They shook. "Zane," he said, revealing a shuriken to her.
Her face lit up. In her perspective, this was the jackpot to a lot of money.
My hand was lifted and the shuriken was placed in it. When he encased my fingers around the golden engravings, he warned me about the weight before letting go. But even with my arm braced for the unknown force of gravity about to act, it still somewhat caused my arm to bend. "How do you use these if they're so heavy?" I asked, being handed the other.
"I am strong enough," he explained. "But you are not. Just hold on. Don't drop them."
I nodded, stepping away to continue posing. Kiersten took the opportunity to make me look fierce and beautiful. Zane silently watched as his possessions hung above my head and rested against my hips. My biceps flexed to keep them securely supported, and with the skin-tight outfit I was wearing, I was sure the cameras caught snapshots of it.
"Looking good, Macca Soxx," Kiersten complimented me. "Do you want a new outfit?"
"Sure," I agreed, relaxing from a painful pose. "Want anything specific?"
"A dress, but you can pick which one."
Zane accepted his shurikens back. I grabbed his wrist and guided him to the area where I've been prepped with different kinds of outfits. Two women with matching black shirts and pants were relaxing and having a conversation until I came into their view. Both of them stood up straight and directed their attention to me while also momentarily glancing at the mysterious man in white.
"I found out why they wanted me as the model," I told Zane, stepping to the clothing rack.
"Why is that?"
I sorted through the visible dresses and pulled one out that had a long flat skirt and long sleeves. Presenting it to him, the dispersed sparkles traveling up the skirt dazzled. "Because all the clothes are white, like yours."
One of the women, Ashley, who was short with permed brown hair, opened the temporary dressing room for me. Inside, I stepped onto a small platform and began changing when the door was closed.
"Coincidence?" Zane wondered from the other side.
"I think not!" I joked, giggling.
Ashley helped me get into the dress without getting it dirty. It hugged my figure and was very lightweight. A wide triangular hole on the chest area exposed some cleavage, the top point facing downward. The sleeves also sloped down into a point that ended at the top of my hands. When I emerged, Zane's pupils expanded.
"What?" I sheepishly giggled, lifting the skirt to sit in a tall black chair.
"N-Nothing," he stammered, standing by my side.
Christy, a woman with blue eyes and blonde hair, took my hair down and removed the makeup from my face with a moist wipe. With every stroke, slightly reddened skin was revealed, especially on my cheekbones.
"You're still sunburnt?" Zane asked.
"Yeah…Christy's really good at doing makeup. She makes it look like I have no imperfections on my face."
Ashley brought a pair of sparkling high heels to me and put them on my feet.
"Aren't imperfections what make us who we are?" he shared.
Christy began applying fresh makeup onto my face. "Yes, but the public eye says differently about physical appearance. Women like me are expected to look almost artificial, but Christy here isn't the only one who does the magic."
"There's more?"
"I'll show you." Christy completely recovered my face with foundation and gave me winged eyeliner. Ashley applied crystal earrings and put my hair through brisk styling to make it have more volume.
When they were done, I hopped down from the chair and led Zane to computer monitors, where staff members were photoshopping submitted pictures of me from earlier today. They used the technology to stretch and compress and mold parts of my body like clay. One of the monitors showed a before and after picture. The first one showed my regular self with slightly pink skin on my hands and creases in my shirt that were very much visible. The second picture showed a matching tan skin color across all areas of exposed flesh and every inch of white fabric was perfectly smooth. Not only that, but they somewhat elongated my torso and made my toned muscles seem stronger than they actually were. The altered picture caught both of our attentions because it was more beautiful than the other.
"They're turning you into someone you really aren't," Zane unhappily complained.
"Shh!" I quickly interrupted, grabbing his arm as a couple people turned their heads. "Zane, they're just doing their job so that people will buy the magazine. Don't kill the messengers."
"But nothing about you is to be changed. This is a mockery of the beauty you already have."
A look of surprise covered my face when I realized how bitter Zane was becoming. I don't remember ever witnessing him losing his cool. "Hey, it's okay, Zane. I'm not offended by anything. They're just trying to enhance me."
He inaudibly sighed, suddenly lifting me into a cradle.
"Whoa!" I blurted out.
He easily carried me away from the area. Kiersten laughed when we returned. "Is this normal for you?" she asked me as he went to the place with a marked spot for me to stand.
A flash of light occurred without warning. Kiersten turned and glared at one of her cameramen. "Don't take pictures with the ninja in the shot! We don't have his permission. He could sue us."
"It's quite alright," Zane assured her, placing me on my feet.
"Are you sure?" I questioned, looking up at him. "Shouldn't your identity be kept a secret? I mean, you are a ninja."
"My identity is still a secret. As long as my face isn't revealed, it's okay."
"Are you saying you want to be in pictures?"
He shrugged and scooped me back up. "There's no harm, is there?"
I crossed my legs, rested my hand on his shoulder, and leaned the side of my face against his arm. "No," I breathed, seeing another flash out of the corner of my eye.
The sparkles of the dress and shoes glimmered within the many shots of him rotating us around at a steady pace. The hold on me never faltered. Kiersten didn't say anything, but watched with a smile on her face.
"Are your arms getting tired?" I asked him.
He suddenly tossed me into the air and threw me over his shoulder, making me yelp in surprise. "No. Are you uncomfortable?"
"I am now!" I playfully protested.
He put me back down. "Macca, compared to Zane's size, you could honestly be his little sister," Kiersten jokingly claimed.
I switched my viewpoint from her to the ninja. "I prefer 'opposite ends of the spectrum,'" I counterclaimed, laughing.
She walked away for a couple seconds and used her foot to slide a wooden box in our direction. "Here, stand on this," she insisted, pushing it one last time.
I stopped it with the bottom of my shoe and saw it was a decently sized box. Standing on top of it, the top of my head almost reached Zane's shoulder, when before it only reached his elbow.
"That's better. Now you actually look proportional to each other," she confirmed, satisfied. "Now reach up and just cup your hand around his bicep."
With Zane standing next to me, I reached beneath his arm and wrapped my fingers up around the designated area.
"Good. Now barely rest the side of your head against his arm. Zane, softly look down at her."
Both of us followed directions. The cameras flashed. Everything was comfortable for me. I even gave his arm a squeeze when we were allowed to move, but doing so resulted in my fingertips not sinking into his skin. Strong muscle prevented anything from easily penetrating through.
"Let's do a couple with just Macca and the shurikens," Kiersten suggested.
Zane handed off his weapons again and stepped away. The poses I did made me look majestic as I sat and laid on the white tarp covering the floor with the shurikens placed around me. A cameraman stood over me when I was laying flat on my back with both the shurikens in my hands, resting on my chest with my arms crossed. My hair was fanned out around my head, allowing the lights to shine against the glossy strands.
Kiersten made the cameraman move so she could stand above my head. Her long pink sweater got spread apart to reveal the purple shirt underneath. "I think I want Zane back in this one," she stated, bending over to make eye contact with me.
"Okay," I replied, watching her long necklace dangle above my face.
She beckoned Zane over, telling him to lay down next to me. When he did, she deciphered and tapped her chin. "Can you spin yourself around so that one of you will be upside down?" she requested from Zane.
He complied and moved. My hair got moved by Kiersten as she assessed the image she was creating.
Zane's head rested in the curve of my shoulder while mine rested in his. Kiersten took the shurikens and set them away from me. "Scoot over a little bit, Zane," she told him.
He obeyed, making room between us. She took my left arm and placed it slightly above my head. Then she repeated with Zane. Our hands made contact. "Go ahead and hold hands," she encouraged, walking away.
The cameraman returned to his position above our heads. My fingers filled the spaces between Zane's. I gently smiled for the camera as it took pictures of us.
"Will I be altered like you?" Zane asked between shots.
"Probably," I answered, "but I know who you really are, and you know who I really am. A photoshopped picture won't change anything between us."
The camera changed angles and shot another picture. The White Ninja squeezed my hand. "You're the only one who knows who I truly am."
His statement took my smile away. The thought of the void he described yesterday came back. Whenever he was around me, he was happy. Apparently when he was back on the Bounty, he was solemn.
And we weren't always together.
The thought followed me back to the dressing room. When I came out with a new outfit, Zane saw I was distraught.
He tilted his head. "Are you okay?"
I dropped my gaze, sitting back in the chair for Christy. We kept silent until my makeup was finished. I was able to see myself in the mirror before I left. Ashley put me in a two-piece outfit; the top was a gray sleeveless shirt that had striped straps that crossed my chest and connected at the back while the long white skirt had loose ruffles with gray abstract designs all over. Light jewelry was applied, as well.
Zane noiselessly followed me back, probably thinking he did something wrong. Well, he didn't, but knowing these details about his life brought even more evidence of Kai's claims about Zane fostering feelings for me. It started making sense to me: Zane was lonely and wanted to be with me as much as possible.
Without Kiersten's advice, I pulled Zane to the marked spot and held his elbows in my hands. Thinking how I wasn't the solution to his problems made me press my head against him.
He held me back as Kiersten nudged the guy next to her to start taking pictures. "Why are you in distress?" he questioned me in a low voice.
"You're alone," I answered, shifting my hold to around his waist.
"Being alone is something I've always had. It no longer bothers me."
Kiersten made me stand on the box again. We became face to face, and, without warning, Zane pressed his covered lips against my hairline. The flash of light returned, capturing the moment. "But being around you makes me feel…normal," he whispered. "It's a good feeling to have when all I've ever known is how to function properly. Social interactions haven't been my best area of mastery throughout my memories."
The cameras continued to flash spontaneously.
"I don't think you lack social skills other than your lack of humor, but a lot of people have that problem. I'm the one who laughs at things that aren't really funny."
"I also have that problem. The other day I watched a movie about a married couple having to be separated and seeing their facial expressions tickled me."
A laugh threatened to surface inside of me as I imagined the scene he described. It reminded me of a different movie scene that was horrible but also made me laugh. The thought made me clench everything I had in order to keep calm, but it was so hard to compose myself. "One time I watched a movie about a huge ship sinking and some random dude jumped off the back and hit the massive propeller on his way down," I described, laughing loudly.
"What? I couldn't understand a word you just said."
Thinking of the entire scene all over again made me laugh even more. I tried to repeat everything I said, but I ended up laughing too much to continue. Instead I just went limp in his arms and contaminated the air with noise that was composed of me forcing air out of my lungs and loudly sucking it back in. People began laughing in response to my own laughter because of the way it sounded.
"The guy hit the propeller-" I gasped, trying to calm myself down enough to speak clearly.
"You need to breathe," he urged, supporting my entire bodyweight.
"Do something fun with each other!" Kiersten prompted.
Zane let me stand up straight again after I gained full composure of myself. "What is considered 'fun'?" he asked me.
"They sometimes like capturing candid moments. Have you ever danced before?"
"Um…not particularly."
I stepped down from the box. "That's okay," I said with a smile. "Would you like to learn?"
"I can try."
"That's the spirit!" I slid the box to Kiersten with the bottom of my foot. Then my hands took his. "This isn't how you always dance, but we'll do it because it's good practice," I explained, letting go of one hand.
He watched curiously as I casually took a step with my right foot over my left to go to my left side. When I repeated with the opposite side, I gestured for him to do it, too.
A mysterious gleam filled his soft stare. Carefully, he mimicked my steps. To the left, to the right, then he stopped.
"Good," I praised, holding his hand up. I placed my palm on the back of his hand and clenched his hand through the spaces between his fingers. "Now, take two steps forward and one steps back. We'll go in a circle. Ready?"
He gazed down at our feet as I slowly took my two steps. When he followed, I took my step back. Again, he went along.
"Let's do it again," I informed. Without changing speed, I took my steps, and he was quick to do it with me. The third time, we did it in sync. When I was sure he knew what he was doing, I loosened my grip on his hand and threw his arm over my head so I could spin around. The white skirt draping over my legs filled with a rush of air, making it somewhat lift and twist around. The cameras flashed as I ended up in a stance with Zane that promised another segment of dancing.
I reached and readjusted his elbows so that they were bent at a ninety-degree angle. In response, I did the same and held his wrists in my hands.
"Okay, this is going to be fun," I said, feeling his hands flip upside down to hold my wrists, too. "With my right, take a single step. Ready?"
We both took the step.
"Now to the left."
Again, we both stepped.
"Okay, do it all again, but let's dip our arms as we go."
This time, when we stepped to the right, we leaned far enough to make our arms drop. The same happened with the other side.
"Now let's add a layer. I'm going to gently push your left arm away, so you do the same with my left arm, like this." I did as I described, causing our shoulders to lean toward and against the other. When I pulled my arm back, the other pushed out. "Easy?"
"Yes."
"It's about to get kind of complicated. Do it again, but this time when I push against you, step your right foot forward, and when you push against me, step the same foot back."
Slowly, I pushed against his arm and watched his right leg go forward. I did the same with mine. When his arm pushed against my left, his foot lurched back, and as did mine.
"You're okay," I encouraged. "One more time."
We practiced until it came without hesitation. Then we went back and combined the two layers. The transition between the two was very fluid after a couple run-throughs. The third layer was simple, but the fourth required us to let go of each other to move our arms and cross legs over the other to take a step. Soon we had six complete layers that came one right after the other. As we did them all repeatedly, I began bouncing my body to give the dancing some energy. Zane just continued to happily do his steps without messing up.
First, we stepped to the right and left, leaning our bodies downwards. Second, we pushed against each other arms and moved our right feet back and forth. Third, we stepped three times while moving our arms once in a wave motion. Fourth, we did the wave motion again but let go twice to point out hands in the direction of our crossing feet. Fifth, we did the wave motion three times very fast without moving our feet. Sixth, we both hopped and threw our hands into the air.
The cameras flashed at the fast movement, but when I accidentally messed the whole thing up by kicking Zane, I began laughing because I felt bad and stopped moving.
"Are you okay?" I asked him, laughing.
"Alright you two," Kiersten blurted out. "One more fun thing and then we need to do more poses with a new outfit."
I glanced up at Zane with an idea in mind.
"What?" he wondered, reading my look like a book.
"I'm going to run and jump into your arms. Can you catch me?"
"If you prefer for me to."
I jogged a few feet away, giggling at his reply. "Ready?" I clarified once in position.
He held his hands out, prepared for my landing.
I ran to him, air rushing past my ears. When I jumped, I threw my feet out from under me. Zane hooked his elbow around one of my knees and cradled my shoulders with his other available hand. My weight caused him to rotate around, but the excitement I felt from the occurrence made my blood pump faster.
The cameras caught the whole thing, and Kiersten looked satisfied with the pictures they took.
"Wear something that has no skirt this time," she voiced in my direction.
Zane and I left together and returned with me wearing my regular outfit, but completely white. My favorite part was the fitted hat, because it said "Stay Frosty" on the front of it.
Kiersten had me back up on the box with Zane making pictures so much better. The shurikens came back into shots, but everything stopped when Zane was requested to remove his mask.
"I just want the back of his head, not his face," Kiersten assured me when I protested.
I looked up to see Zane's face already uncovered. "It's okay, Macca," he asserted, scooping me up in a cradle. "My identity is still unknown to the world."
"Ooh, wait!" Kiersten intervened. "I'd also like to show how strong he is."
I gave her a confused look. "Look at him, Kiersten. How can you not think he's strong?"
"I'm just trying to make you look good. You with any shirtless guy will have all kinds of people wanting to buy the magazine."
My eyes widened. I suddenly understood what she was saying.
Zane settled me back onto my feet and began to remove clothing.
"Zane, you don't have to if you don't want to," I reminded him, taking the rope that was holding everything in place from his grasp.
He revealed his gray undershirt. "I don't have anything too splendid to give away," he replied.
I barely heard anything he just said. My attention focused on how wonderfully muscular his bare arms were. When the undershirt came off, I felt myself get really warm.
Not having anything to give away is officially the biggest understatement of the year, I mentally screamed.
Someone came and took the clothes. I just unblinkingly stared at how perfect Zane's body was. When he scooped me back up, I couldn't meet his eye. Feeling how smooth and warm his skin was felt…indescribable.
He slipped the hat off my head and saw how I was in a trance-like state. "Are you distracted?" he inquired.
"W-What? No," I replied, deeply blushing.
Kiersten didn't pay attention to anything but how she wanted us to look. Zane turned his back to the cameras and held me high enough for me to caress the back of his head. For a moment, the cameras didn't matter. The whole photoshoot didn't matter. I got to experience what Zane was really like. He was gentle, and warm, and overall just a beautiful human being.
My breathing steadied, my eyes shut, and my hand slowly rubbed a small area on his back. I pressed my face into the crook of his neck. This was my best friend. He was the person I vowed to never leave. He was the person whom I belonged to. There was no denying it: I loved the white Ninja of Ice.
How was it? I hope my goal of showing how inseparable Zane and Macca are was met with this chapter. The next chapter will be out within the next couple of weeks, so be watching for any more updates! Shoutout to Kai4Ever and The Mayor of Ninjago City for reviewing! Thank you all my silent readers for being interested in things I have in store :)