Stacey

The sky is turning orange. Seagulls squawk while flying back to their nests. I perch on my rock as Kendrix nearly succeeds in climbing onto it and sits beside me. "Not my rock, young man," I say, pushing him back into the water, leading out a loud splash.

"Meany," mumbles Kendrix under his breath while swimming away towards a rock nearby. He climbs onto it and sit down, his legs crossed. Aside from that, his T-shirt and jeans are soaking wet after I've done the shrinking spell on the bubble. But as he emerges on the surface, the bubble pops entirely.

Raising his head up, he watches the seagulls chirp and fly in groups in awe. Based on my seventh sense, I bet he is recalling the days when he could fly like those birds.

"Missing the old days?" I ask, pulling him out of his reverie.

Kendrix sets his gaze on me and yawns, pretending to not care. "Nope," He declares but I'm not buying this answer. Eventually, I snort.

"Don't you wish to fly again?" I test him again with my question.

"For sure I wish to fly again. But without my wings, I have no way to-" His answer ceases to continue as he trails off all of a sudden. Soon, he starts to look around when I mirror his action.

"What is it, Kendrix?" I ask out of curiosity and also because I'm running out of patience. I just can't do anything without knowing the purpose, it makes me look stupid. But without keeping me waiting, Kendrix jumps into the water before swimming towards me. It costs just a few seconds until he resurfaces by my rock. "Tell me, please."

"I can feel Kenjax here," he answers, but I show him my baffled expression instead. As clever as he ever be, Kendrix seems to notice my confusion. So, he adds, "Kenjax is my twin brother. We are separated after the jaculus had bitten me."

"Oh," I suspire with surprise. The urge of meeting his twin brother becomes stronger in me. "Where can you feel him from? Tell me the direction so I can get you there," I offer while diving into the water.

"Kendrix!" A call sounds from a distance which rises both our heads towards the sound source.

"Kenjax!" Here comes another boy who looks almost identical to Kendrix. His flapping wings are huge and white as snow, warding off the sunlight shining behind him which thereby turns him into a graceful silhouette. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you dumbass. Father has been worried sick last night," he answers a little angrily while flying down towards us. At the sight of me, the angel narrows his eyes which makes him look unfriendly, unlike his little brother.

Maybe he is the type of big brother like Kyle who are protective towards their young siblings. But still, I manage to smile at him and thankfully, he smiles back but his alarming gaze proceeds. His eyes are piercing through mine and it would be awkward sooner or later if someone doesn't say something.

"Jax, this is Stacey Gems. Her sister saved me and now she is in charged to take care of me." In a flash, Kenjax's alarming gaze on me loosen and his smile looks more genuine. As he stands onto my rock and squats down, I'm thereby reminded to have jumped into the water a moment ago when Kendrix senses his brother's presence.

Dang it.

I bite my lip to prevent my mouth from spilling out words which may start a fight.

"Thank you for taking care of my brother," Kenjax thanks me while he offers his hand for me to shake. Puffing with a smile, I take it without further consideration.

"My pleasure," I reply formally as we let go of each other's hands.

"Jax, this is her rock," whispers Kendrix while he takes a peep on my face. Resultantly, I shoot a squint at him, speechless. If he ever tells his brother how domineering I am, Gems' name would go down. "And you are invading her space."

Exhaling in frustration, I ruffle my damn hair while casting him another serious glare, signaling him to shut up. And he does.

"Oh my bad, I'm really sorry, your highness," says Kenjax apologetically while unfolding his wings once again. With his wings flapping continuously, he is now floating in midair, sending chilly breeze towards us without realisation.

"Well, it's fine." Although my mind is now swooning with messy thoughts, the words has just slipped out of my mouth and it is too late to take it back. The wind is cool and I shiver upon it. The idea of preventing his wings from flapping while facing us rises into mind. "You may take a sit on my rock as you wish, Prince Kenjax."

A little hesitantly, I lay a hand onto my precious rock as Kendrix shows me the look of unfairness. As I remember the moment I pushed him down into the water before he can even climb up and sit with me, I snicker forms under my nose.

"My apologies if I had made any inconvenience to you, your highness. I won't stay here for long because I am here to take my brother back home for treatment," Kenjax reveals solemnly. Royalties are just straight-forward as they don't usually ask for consent. Neither do those of the royalties in the ocean. I guess we are alike in terms of the way we see and plan things.

Kenjax crosses his legs in the air before touching the rock. Now, he is seated in front of us. The reveal of his arrival drives me speechless. Before I can even pick up any words to say next from my brain, I can barely talk.

"You are afraid of my brother, aren't you?" asks Kendrix playfully as he pats my arm and is rewarded by my momentary shriek. How long has he been floating beside me so quietly? I give him a level look while he smirks in smugness. I twitch my lips, feeling aggrieved.

Turning his gaze away from me, Kenjax is now focussing on his brother. His voice sounds monotonous like a robot's. "Kendrix," he calls after clearing his throat. "Like I've told the mermaid princess, I'll be taking you home today. We have found the best doctor to heal you."

Although we'd only spent only one night, one morning, one afternoon and one evening together, the sad feeling of seeing Kendrix leave in such a short time makes my chest hurt. I lock my gaze on Kendrix as he does the same on me. Since we are currently having a good time, both of us are obviously reluctant to leave just yet. I can see his similar thought through his longing eyes.

I bear my urge to cry and say, "Their tendency to heal you is higher than my sister's medication. You should go with your brother." I rest my hand on his shoulder, encouraging him. This is the right thing, now somebody has found the cure to Kendrix's injuries, I have to be happy for him. My eyes are getting hot and wet all of a sudden that I turn away from both of them, refuse to let them know that I am crying.

"Stacey," Kendrix grabs on my wrist and pulls me into his lap, hugging me. "I'll be back soon, I promise." His chest vibrates as he speaks. Knowing that this is the last few moments to look at his face, I finally let go of the true suppressed feeling of mine and eventually bursts out sobbing. This is the first friend I make in my life and today, he is leaving already.

This is so soon. Too soon.

Choking on my sobs, I stayed in his lap while grabbing his shirt so forcefully until they are wrinkled. "Look at me," he demands softly while placing his hand under my chin, letting me to stare straight into his eyes and read his mind, although I can't.

Nevertheless, I hope this lasts forever, somehow.

***

Kendrix

The sea water is cold but our breaths are warm. I have not feel so bad if it comes to leaving someone before. This time, it is different. I'm literally suppressing the urge to cry while I hug Stacey tightly with my arms.

Both of us refuse to let go. And I know pretty well that I need to say something to Stacey before leaving her, but not under my strict brother's presence. Hence, I turn to look at him while one of my eyes sheds a tear. "Could you please give us a moment, Jax? I need to tell her something."

"As you wish, Drix. I'll give you 10 minutes." Ten minutes are just enough for me. After nodding at each other, Kenjax disappears behind the trees and I turn back to Stacey before whispering into her ears.

Stacey's cheeks are blushing while I can feel mine too. She looks so lovely and cute despite the displayed expressions on her face. Yes, even though she is crying, the beauty remains on her still. "Close your eyes," I say, more like a whisper and she obeys.

Soon, my view lingers on her lips before I actually let myself fall for her. Pressing the back of her head, I rest my lips on hers softly. My eyes half-closed but hers are opened wide in surprise.

I'm not expecting her to kiss back, yet, she does. Feeling content, I close my eyes and embrace her neck, steadying her. Our hot tongues meet each other while I share my body heat with her, since hers is always cold. A soft moan escapes her throat before I pull away first and gasp for air. So does her. We eye each other for a short while with our faces looked flustered, and then, we chuckle at the same time.

Not only that, I could also see the flow of her memories and desires passing through my brain like a calm river, telling me more about her.

She is born on the 12th of May. She is an orphan because her parents died in combat. Although she has the company of her siblings, she still feels lonely for having only a few friends to talk to sometimes. She loves reading books, novels to be exact. When she looks up to the sky, she sees the white birds and will imagine herself flying.

"I will come back to you one day, once I'm recovered," I reassure her before leaning forward to brush a feathery kiss on her lips. She stays silent but I can see the pain and sorrow and loneliness through her longing stares. She is begging me not to go at the same time when she's fighting against her own ego. But I can't do anything to stop that. No one can.

Not long after, cool breeze begins to flow smoothly pass us and that is when Kenjax flies towards us, facing me. Following my gaze, Stacey turns to look at him. She nods politely at my brother as a sign that she's ready for my departure.

"Goodbye, Kendrix," she says, forcing out her sweetest smile. "Take care of yourself." She reminds me as Kenjax shoves my body up with one hand and carries me on his shoulder. My increased heaviness due to my soaked clothes makes him groan. He must have forgotten the fact that I have my clothes on unlike him who only has the cloths covering his body.

"I will, you too Stacey." As Kenjax is bringing me further away from her, I fail to seal my mouth from letting out the three words, which may be forbidden to say. "I love you!!"

"I love you too!" she answers with the loudest voice she can manage not more than 2 seconds after I admitted my true feelings on her. A warm sensation soothes my heart once my proposal is answered. Coincidentally, I can see the seagulls flying around us until an enormous heart shape is formed in the air. Romance is rich in this special evening of ours, thanks to my honesty and the seagulls' intelligence.

Kenjax takes a sharp turn and Stacey's figure finally disappears from my sight. "You're kidding me, right?" He asks out of the sudden.

"Huh?"

"I mean you just met her yesterday," he argues while he flaps his wings to increase the speed and balance himself through the air pressure. "How could you be so sure that your feelings for her are true?"

"I know my own feelings, Jax. They'll never lie," I try to persuade in the firmest tone. "I feel what she feels."

My brother sighs while we penetrate through the white, fluffy clouds. "Look, the doctor might be experienced in healing you, but it doesn't mean he will actually succeed. There are risks and things don't usually go in a way we want, brother." There he goes with the advice. "You will hurt her if you're not able to return to her."

"I will make it, whether the demon side of me likes it or not." I am aware that I might be making false hopes now. But with the beliefs rooted in mind, this mind help in erasing Feiss.

Sighing, Kenjax says, "I won't be easy, brother."

"I know," I can feel my brother's shoulder tenses although he remains silent this time. To be very honest, I feel relieved that Stacey doesn't get to hear our cruel conversation that might tear her heart apart. Love needs faith and faith needs acknowledgement. I must recover no matter what as there is no going back.

Stacey will be waiting for me and I never want her to wait for so long and for nothing. I have a wish to fulfil. Her wish to fulfil. I can't let her down. Ever.

First updated: 13 March 2017.
Last edited: 18 June 2019.