Markelle Grabo

“I'm sorry I ruined your homecoming."He kissed me once more and then shook his head. "The only thing that could ruin this is not being with you.”

“You're still the same Ramsey I danced with," he said softly.”

“I didn't want him to think I was giving up - I wasn't. I simply couldn't put myself together just yet.”

“My Zora senses are tingling," I said.Nathan looked at me blankly."Right, you don't know anything about Spiderman," I remembered."Spider who?" he asked.”

“Nothing is more important to me than keeping you safe." - Nathan”

“I'm scared, all right?" I said. I could feel my stomach churn as my gaze rested on the wooden trunk.Nathan turned my chin, looking at me with an expression of utter sincerity. "You don't have to be. I'm here.”

“He smiled at me, and just like that I was completely happy to be who I was. I knew it wouldn't be easy all the time, but right now it was as simple as sunshine because Nathan was here and had helped me to realize that I was still Ramsey, no matter how much things had changed.”

“Maybe one did have to be smart in order to kill.”

“The heat intensified. My emotions were spinning out of control. The euphoria was maddening. Out of pure instinct, I pulled away and leaned against the wall, unable to find enough air to breathe. The more I pulled away, the strong the raw ache inside of me became, causing me more pain than the lack of oxygen in the room. Then I realized the source of my pain. It dawned on me with a shocking certainty. I hadn't wanted to pull away from Nathan. I needed him closer in order to feel safe. I needed his touch, his feel. I needed him now more than I ever had.”

“As long as he is around, I don't fit into your life." - Nathan”

“Then I wondered, what if?What if he kissed me? What if he told me I was beautiful? What if he told me he loved me?What would I say in return?”

“I was all too aware of his hands resting on my lower back, their imprints like sweet flames that seemed to go through the thin fabric of my dress and onto my skin.”

“I hate going through this when we just found...," his voice trailed off."Found what?""Each other," he finished, half-smiling.”

“The last book I picked up had a picture of the Stranger on the front cover. Although his eyes were not nearly as beautiful in my dream state, they still took my breath away. I opened it up curiously and there was one word written in a large, bolded font: FATE.”

“Drop something?" he asked, trying to suppress a smile but failing miserably at the act.I nodded and smiled back at him sheepishly, unable to find my voice to respond in any other way."Interested in locks, I see," he commented.I nodded again."Well, here you go," he said, and he handed the book to me.I nodded. Oh crap, why did I just nod? Take the book! I screamed inside my head. Take it! I took it slowly. He kept looking at me, smiling.”

“The last thing I heard before falling asleep was, "Everything is okay now."No matter how much I wanted to believe Stellan, I knew he was terribly wrong.”

“Ah, Zora, you are so naive," the fire fairy said with a hearty chuckle. "You have no idea what happened to them, do you? You have no clue as to what happened to your parents.”

“They were a deep emerald green, the exact same color as mine, and they glowed with an intensity I had never witnessed before. A slash of silver crossed each one, the sun's reflection making them sparkle like dancing crystals. The emerald irises appeared to be swirling in circles, creating the illusion that his eyes were never-ending. Flecks of darker emerald clustered around each pupil made my breath catch in my throat. Suddenly, my disheartened mood vanished, almost as if I had never felt sadness before. Something about these eyes held me in place, as if I had found a balance, blanketing me in a cocoon of comfort, free of worries and concerns.”

“So you aren’t going to tell me what just happened?” I deduced. The fact was clearly readable across his face.He looked me over again and sighed. “Just be careful in the future,” he said.“How can I be careful when I have no idea why this just happened? Water grabbed me!” I cried, gesturing with my hands toward the side of the bridge where I once lay. “How is that possible?”When he didn’t respond to my questions, I probed him further, trying to get him to answer me. “What about you, with the mud and the rock and the crazy out-of-thin-air thing? What was that?” I demanded to know.“It was saving your life,” he said, a hint of petulance creeping into his tone. “Be careful in the future, Ramsey.”Then he took off running, and after a few seconds, he was gone from my sight...”