Ella picked out the strands of hair that had been slapped—all thanks to the westward, salty ocean air that blew in from the Atlantic—into her eyes. The gust of wind was a welcome treat, a momentary AC in the blazing of the mid-afternoon sun high up in the sky.

In her hands were two slim handouts and a six-in-one notebook. A small but fashionable bag was strapped over her right shoulder.
Head high, eyes forward, she walked through the pathway in the lawn, from her lecture room towards the school gate.

It was already 2:07pm. Today, being Tuesday, was one of those days when she had piles of classes in Coasta Hera Open University where she'd resumed as a part-time student a week ago.

She was feeling really alive and happy, unlikely of a person who had just plodded through a torrent of boring lectures.

Ever since the victory against those demons, she'd been having bouts of unspeakable joy. Her faith had soared, her relationship with the Redeemer had gotten deeper and her purpose was gradually becoming clearer—to help others who are lawful captives like she once was to become free, which she figured was one of the reasons He had given her an easy admission into the Open University.

But that didn't mean she wasn't stressed out. Aquaculture was an interesting course with bored and demanding lecturers.

Hopefully, she'd get a bus real quick, hop by at Rutie's Fashion Store for her part-time work shift till evening, then go home to properly rest.

It had been about three weeks since the final show down between good and evil, with good triumphing by a narrow inch. Ella couldn't believe time has gone so fast.

Jeremiah and Deborah finally got to enjoy their delayed honeymoon in an exquisite yacht. Their couple's paradise lasted three days and by the time they came back, Ella watched Deborah's flushed and animated face with a tint of envy.

Rouge Clatrava went back to her family a new person and insisted on always coming to say hi to Ella at Rutie Fashion Store from time to time.

The girl stuck like a shoot to a root. And falling in love with Mrs Layson bubbly and motherly nature, she went on to become a regular attendee of Burning Light Ministries, convincing her mother to come along on occasion.
Rouge submitted to discipleship and joined the converts' class.
Her father barely knew their daughter had been abducted. He was overseas on yet another business expenditure.

Rouge's new goal was to get her family to accept Christ and taste of the marvellous love and power that she has been opportune to partake of.

Many times, Ella and Rouge would reminisce their experience that supernatural night and would laugh, reliving their shock and terror and awe.
Rouge said she'd almost had a cardiac arrest by the overload of supernatural things that happened that night.

Sometimes, when no one was watching, both of them spent time in secluded places, their favourite spot being the Cliff, mediating on scriptures and also practicing their gifts.

According to Ella, they shouldn't relax because the adversary was an ever-prowling lion and he'll keep looking for opportunities to strike again. They had to be ever alert and prepared. The divine abilities that God had gifted them with couldn't be wasted.

She never ceased to remind young Rouge that this unusual gift was just God's merciful extension of their spiritual weapons, so that she shouldn't allow pride to consume her and corrupt the gift like it happened to Lucifer.

Rouge had been a good student, growing and learning fast. She could now aim almost to perfection and hurl balls of flames in smoky projectiles.
Her recent discovery—that she could make the fire into whatever shape she so imagined and move it as she wanted, made her so excited and slightly spooked.

Ella had been perfecting her ice craft too. Her latest conquest was mastering how to do wonders with rain water.

Resuming college, trying to live like she was another regular student was at first awkward, but in no time she'd adjusted and blended in.

She knew she had a lot of memory refreshing and catching up to do, seeing she hadn't touched anything academically related for a few years.

She'd made few acquaintances, chosen by proper scrutiny. Excellent one. Fellow believers. Good connections.

A honk close by startled her out of her reverie.
She looked behind her and was absolutely caught off guard when she saw Matthew's cool ride.
He was waving at her. Waving at her to come.

Okay, so, this was a first. Ever since she'd remained neutral on his proposal, he'd also kept a safe distance.
Personal bubbles.

But still, anytime church activities and mutual friends brought them together, the sparks and current that flowed between them from the eye contact and brief hand contact was strong enough to power an entire building.

Ella felt shy to go up to him to say yes, so she prayed and talked to Mrs Layson who gave her full support and even went as far as vouching for Matthew's character.

Ella didn't want to appear needy or pushy. She wanted to give him proper time to weigh his options.
That was one of the reasons she'd made him see her special abilities. If indeed he was the one for her, she knew he'd not be creeped out and leave.

She smiled to mask her shock at seeing him and slowed down so the car could stop just by her. She walked to the passenger's side at the front.

"Good afternoon," she greeted as she settled in to the front seat.
"I'm surprised to see you here," she continued as she focused on fastening the strap of the safety belt over her shoulder.

"Well, good afternoon to you too, Dewdrop," he said, his British accent strong.

Dewdrop? Seriously? That's the pet name he came up with?

She laughed, the sound smooth and silky.

One thing she'd noticed about Matthew from discreet observation was that beneath that thick masculine cover, he was rather soft, sweet and funny. Or was she bias because she had feelings for him?

"I was coming from Jeremiah's place and I got your school address from him. How were your classes today, Dewdrop?"

"Okay, what's with the name?" she said casually, praying he wouldn't press the issue.
She'd rather he called her Ella. But still, however annoying and babyish the name was, she loved how he said it and made it seem like she owned the name.

"It's who you are, Ella," he said with an easy smile and did a brief take of her with a side glance.

Ella felt her cheek burn up and her insides go mushy at the way he looked at her in that moment.
She suddenly felt like a royal princess wearing the rarerest crown studded with all the kinds of gem that ever was. Matthew momentarily was her prince charming. Sigh... Fairytales.

"Stop it," she said bashfully in a whisper, trying to hide her fierce blush.
He chuckled and she loved the sound of it.

"Where are you going?" she finally asked.

"What if I came to kidnap you? Ella, you should be more careful," he said with a mock serious face.

She laughed again. "I hope you're going downtown. I wanted to stop by Rutie's before heading home."

"That can be arranged. I actually came to pick you because I wanted you to accompany me somewhere."

Ella looked at herself and suddenly felt inappropriately dressed in her straight chocolate brown skirt and plain cream tee.
He made it sound like he was taking her for a date in a fancy restaurant.

With the rumours circulating the media that his father, Mr Pegamon, would soon be given a higher legislative position once the general elections were over, she knew Matthew probably walked with the top gears in the country.
How could he even look at her and find her a wife material?
She imagined the long queue of girls drooling over him.

"Accompany you? Where? Shouldn't I go change first?"

He looked at her. "You're gorgeous the way you are. But if you insist, then, bills on me, we're getting you a nice gown of your choice once we get to Rutie's. For the record, where I am taking you isn't a formal place."

Despite the fact that Ella was more intrigued that ever, she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to spoil the element of surprise that she could sense he was trying hard to preserve.

They arrived at the fashion house. Rouge was just entering the store with her schoolbag.
Immediately she spotted Ella coming down from the car, she whooped and jumped a bit, clapping her hands.

"Oh my gosh! OMG! Someone tell me I'm dreaming! El! Is this a Model-17 FelCoaster Sport's car I'm seeing?" She literally screamed as she bounced and up and down, came close to Ella and squeezed her hand.

Ella who had no knowledge about car models was at loss of what to make of her exaggerated euphoria.

"Uhm, yeah, I guess?"
She was starting to feel embarrassed.

"Oooouuuu..." Rouge whispered as she circled the car with wide eyes and glided her hand across its sleek, silvery ash body like it was some rare diamond.

Then Matthew got out of driver's side.

Rouge shot a look at Ella and back to Matthew.

"Are you the owner of this super cool baby?"

Matthew chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah... I guess so..."

Ella rolled her eyes as Rouge placed the back of her hand on her forehead and the other on her chest as she pretended to swoon.
Drama queen.

"You're kidding me!
El, no hard feelings, but I'm ditching you. I've got a new buddy now."
With that, she hooked her arm with Matthew's and literally dragged him into the store.

The sly girl turned her head back and mouthed to Ella, "Is he your boyfriend?"

Ella gave her the death glare, gestured and mouthed back, "Watch your tongue, Red! Just wait till I catch you!"

Rouge smiled mischievously, wiggled her eyebrows and mouthed back, "He's hot. Keep him."

Ella felt her face go inflamed but she hid by face palming.
How much blushing could a girl manage in a single day?

All the while, Matthew, being the perfect gentleman that he was, was completely unaware of the girly exchange between those two.
Ella couldn't have been more thankful for his obliviousness.

Mrs Ruth was attending to some customers but when she saw them, she handed over to a worker and walked up to their triangle with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't a sight for sore eyes. Matthew came over to my storem. Hmmm... I wonder why?"

Then with a sweep of her eyes, she addressed Ella, "Oh hi Ella! You're back early today. How were classes?"

"Good afternoon Ma'am. Actually, he—"

"Ma," Matthew interrupted Ella's explanation speech, drew close and gave Mrs Ruth an air peck on her cheek. "I came to kidnap her. Can she be excused from her shift this afternoon? And please do you have a nice and simple gown?"

Mrs Ruth's smile could have split her face into two.

She winked at Matthew. "You owe me, Matthew. I do have the perfect gown for her... Is it a date or a simple outing?"

"Just an outing. Make it simple."

Ruth went into the inner racks and pulled out a fusci
a pink gown.

When Ella came out of the dressing room, twirling, she saw Matthew's eyes light up and jumpy Rouge was clapping and grinning stupidly.

As they drove through the streets of Ivory, Coasta Hera, Ella thanked Matthew for paying for her dress.

"Anything for you, Dewdrop. By the way, did I mention that you look absolutely stunning in that dress?"

Ella smiled throughout the rest of the ride till her cheeks hurt.

The car came to a stop at familiar grounds.

"What happened?" she asked, perplexed.

"We're here!" Matthew said, grinning.

Ella looked at the window and almost didn't believe her eyes.

This was MkeSea Tanks. The tourist attraction aquarium where the had formerly worked and the first danger had sprung up. Where the Redeemer had sent Deborah to her rescue.

Ella sat glued to the seat, mind racing.

Matthew asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I formerly used to work here. How did you know about this place?"

"Really? I saw it online ranking as one of the best aquariums with a quaint restaurant that overlooks the beach. Are you okay, Ella or should we go some other place?" he asked looking her over with concern.

Ella breathed out and smiled to reassure him. "It's alright. This place is perfect."

They entered hand in hand into the aquarium that was bustling with tourists and families that came sightseeing.
Many things had changed, Ella noted. For one, they'd managed to get a smart-looking gal as the tour guide. And new rare species of aquatic animals had been added to the display collection.

She strained to catch a glimpse of the back scenes.
That was where she'd worked as a fish feeding warden and tank cleaner.

It was the warm squeeze of Matthew's hand on hers that took her that brought her back to the now.
She looked down at their hands together then at his face.

Matthew urged
her with his eyes to let then enjoy the view, and she nodded. She wasn't going to ruin this outing for him because of her past.

As she was watching the dolphins doing their acrobatic cute display, she felt his gaze on her.

Her breath caught when she looked at him and their eyes locked.

"Uhm... Matthew, why exactly are we here?" she asked, trying to scramble the electric moment and turn the course off of her. 

"I was wondering if you'd never ask," he said with a smug smile, then that smile went all wobbly. He let out a breath and said, "Whew! Here goes."

Ella watched, first confused, then embarrassed, as Matthew went down on one knee. Her lilac irises grew wide.

"Matthew, what are you doing? Get up. People are watching!"

His steadfast gaze was trained on her, not wavering.
A dark wine tiny box materialized from nowhere. A gasp escaped Ella's mouth when he opened it to reveal a simple gold ring. Her keen eyes noticed that tiny ice fractal designs decorated the band.

People were beginning to notice the scene which was clearly turning out to be a romantic proposal. Social ones brought out their phones and started recording.

Ella couldn't actually believe he was doing this. In public!

"Ella Macmillor," he said, his voice low, "I have asked you before, and you asked me to wait. But I can't continue to play platonic any longer. The waiting is killing me."

"The first time, it was impromptu and crude and unplanned. But this time around, I have gotten permission from God, your brother, your mentor—Deb, and even Pastor and his wife. I got a fancy box and a ring that matches you. I even rehearsed my lines which I have unfortunately forgotten now..."

Ella laugh-cried and covered her mouth with both palms.

"I want you to be my forever, Ella. I want to wake up every morning to dewdrops sprinkled all over me. I want us to work hand in hand to see God's kingdom come over this land. I want to fulfill destiny with you by my side. Ella Macmillor, will you please marry me and make me the most blessed man on earth?" 
Matthew took in a sharp inhale of air, waiting for the reply that would either break or make him. 

Ella was overwhelmed. She smiled, and said with tears dripping down her eyes, "How could I saw no to the one whom God had chosen for me? Matthew Pegamon, my answer is yes!"

Matthew almost shot up the ceiling.
The cooing, awww-ing and 'say yes' cheer-crew and observers broke into an applause and whistles as Matthew locked Ella in a warm hug.

"Thank you, Lord," he kept saying.
Ella shed tears of joy and appreciation to the Redeemer as she clung to her man.

They disengaged and Matthew placed the engagement ring on the fourth finger of her left hand.
Then he gave her a chaste peck on her forehead.

For the rest of their time in MkeSea, they indulged in a delicious dessert of caramel apples and cake parfait, after a main course of Arancino (Italian rice balls) and Bolognese sauce in the restaurant.
Matthew was the one who ordered from the menu, rescuing Ella who had no clue of the dishes listed there in unknown languages.

They discussed many things, getting to know each other better. Ella told him the significance of this place—that it was here that Deborah met her—and the circumstances surrounding their meeting. He was stunned to hear that.

They exchanged and saved each others contacts. Ella smiled when she saw him type 'Dewdrop' with one heart/love (❤️) and one ice fractal (❄️) emoji into his apple tab as her contact name.

Before she got out of his car to enter her new apartment which was formerly Deborah's, he gave her a romantic goodbye with a kiss on the back of her left hand where the engagement ring was.

Ella watched him drive off with a goofy grin plastered on her face, walked into the house in dreamy state and pinched her skin to ascertain if this was a reality.
She did a crazy jig of happiness when she realized it was no dream.

After calming a bit and putting on the lights, she noticed a letter that had been tossed inside through the mail slot.
Still euphoric, she picked it up nonchalantly and entered into the kitchen to offload the few groceries he got her on their way here.

She took time to admire her ring and replay the events of the whole day as she sat on the kitchen island, sipping chilled mango juice. She wasn't hungry at all, so no plans for dinner.

She'd call her friends and tell them she was engaged. Not that they'd be that surprised because they had secretly given Matthew their go-ahead. Maybe she and Matthew should deliver the news together tomorrow as an official couple.

While she was ruminating upon that, she remembered the letter and drew it close.

What she saw at the top right corner stopped her cold and caused her heart to lurch.

The fire and water insignia!

She brought the paper close to her nose. The scent of the special ink he loved to write in was unmistakeable.

Mr D.

Father.

She opened the letter cautiously.
It was more of a telegram than a letter and it was handwritten in a barely recognizable scribble.

It read:

Help. I'm dying. Please hurry.
Mr D.

**********

Author's note: Okay, isn't it so sweet that Matthew re-proposed more romantically and that in MkeSea Tanks? Sigh...😍😍😍💍

I was chatting with my very good friend and she was like she'd love her own proposal to be done possibly in a library and she'd love pull out the ring from the pages of a book.😏📖 Yup, that's how much she loves books. 🤭😅

This chapter is dedicated to you Toinpre😘 
I hope this draws your attention to this book again. I'll love to read through your amazing comments once more. 🤗🤗❤️❤️

Okay so, quick confession, the 'Dewdrop' name was inspired by the animation movie, 'Raya and the Last Dragon'. That was the nickname Raya's father, Chief Benja, called her. And I thought it was cool and sweet. 💫💫💫
You guys should check out that amazing movie centered around the theme of trust. ✨

What consequences do you think the letter from Mr D brings?

We'll have to wait and see...🤔

Don't forget to vote, comment and share.😁

I love you all. ❤️❤️❤️

Cheerio!👋