Page 15

Amias

I had stayed to enjoy the warm milk with her, leaving right after Erasmus to take off into the city with my chauffeur.

People my age walk the streets near the mall despite what had happened earlier.

Women show off their New Year's tan in short skirts and crop tops alongside men who have ditched their shirts in the humidity.

The streets are doused in light from the heart shaped lamp posts.

The only difference from other nights is the amount of police among everyone.

It's a Saturday night. It’s the nicest time to go to a nightclub or dine in a fancy restaurant.

Only thing it's not perfect for is trying to find Clara. At least the articles about the incident haven't shown her face among the victims.

I have my chauffeur drop me by the streets a few times and ask people walking by about her but no one's seen her.

The fifteenth stop, I hop out by a nightclub with a bright red sign that says Lustful Dancing . I ask people in line, and still, everyone shakes her heads. Lastly I walk up to the security guard upfront, checking everyone's ID before letting them in. "Excuse me sir?"

He doesn't even bat an eye at me. "Back of the line."

"Oh, I don't want to go into the club sir. I just wanted to ask something real quick."

He checks one more ID before waving them off before rolling his eyes towards me. "What do you want, kid?" He mutters.

I’m taken aback by how irritated he sounds, but I brush it off. “Have you seen a messy brown haired woman about eighteen years old, wearing a ripped black shirt, living out on the streets?"

He scrunches his nose as he looks past my shoulder. "You mean, that creepy woman?"

I follow his glare to find a woman staring across the street. Her body looks stiff and her jaw is slacked, with long dark hair getting in the way of her eyes. A big rip on her black shirt exposes her belly.

My heart leaps. That is her!

I quickly thank the man and rush towards her. "Clara!"

She starts running down the street before I get close to her.

I pause in the road. "Clara?” I call again, trying to sound less urgent. “Please!”

She stands still, her back turned to me.

"Please?” I run to the sidewalk but leave a few feet between us. “Let me talk at least?"

She doesn't respond. A part of me wants to step closer but I decide to wait for her to make that final move.

“Why?”

I perk a brow. "What?"

"Why?" She turns around to face me, a confused frown forming on her face. "Why do you want to help me so much? Why does it seem to excite you? You already almost died for my ass today. Why do you need to do more?”

My brain stutters for an answer before I end up snickering. “The job isn't really done yet though, is it? I mean, you're still out here in the streets with risks of infection. Fighting a dreamscreecher doesn't solve all the other issues, does it?”

“Yes, but nearly sacrificing yourself was already plenty.”

“Just because I saved you once doesn't mean I suddenly want to ignore the fact you're on the streets alone. If I'm going to help you, I'm doing all I can. Besides, if I was in your shoes, I would still appreciate the help.”

She twists her lips. “But why would it matter to you?”

“Haven't you heard ‘give the love you would want to be given to you’?

I can't just know that you're out here, and ignore it.

It's my duty as a human and more so as a descendant of Cosmo to help out the people within my kingdom.” My stomach twists at how sick it'd be if I ignored people in need.

“What kind of prince would I be to leave people like you out here with no help?”

She furrows her brows. “I don't know. At this point, I should be repaying you.”

“Okay then,” I smirk. I can use that to my advantage. “Repay me by letting me help you.”

“That's not repayment!” Her eyes widen like I'm a mad man.

“It is to me. I want to find you a home and have someone look at your wounds. I can bring you food and water. Everything you need to make sure you're okay.” I take a step forward. “Please…let me help you…”

She scrunches her brows together. “I don't want to be in the castle.”

“You won't. I can call a homeless shelter. In fact I know one that would be perfect!” My body jumps excitedly at the sudden idea. “You get a private room, with a bathroom and fridge. You get a nice cozy bed to yourself. It'll be perfect!”

“But I can't stay here long…” she murmurs. She glances over my shoulder before looking back to me.

“Then I'll help you as long as you're here.”

Her eyes still shift around, a small frown tugging her lips. It seems like she can't decide if I'm being sincere or not, which is disappointing. Is it so harsh out here that my willingness to help is surprising? “You really want to help me?”

“Yes. I do.”

“And I don't owe you anything if I let you?”

“Nothing.”

She falls silent, her attention diverted to the pavement. My heart pounds at the possibility that she could reject me. What would I do if she said no? Do I just leave her out here like this? I couldn't. I’d sleep out here with her if I needed to.

She lets out a huff. “Fine. I'll come with you.”

I let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”

“You're saying thank you for letting you help me ?” She shakes her head. “You're a weird man.”

“I hope weird doesn't mean terrible,” I chuckle as she approaches me, keeping eye contact with her amber eyes.

Amber eyes.

They're irises like rings of fire, vibrant under the warm street light above us. They're beautiful!

“Your eyes are very beautiful by the way.” I offer her a gentle smile.

She scowls. “What do you mean by that?”

My eyes widen and my cheeks start to blaze. Does she think I'm flirting? “Nothing weird or anything. I just wanted to give a compliment.” It would be weird considering the situation at hand.

Her glare softens before she looks down “Oh… yes. You too.”

I titter. Did she really mean that, or was she saying that just because I did? “Thanks.”

I lead her to the end of the street where there's a crosswalk, where a rose colored timer counts down. Once it drops down to zero, walls of light pink sparkles line the crosswalk, preventing cars from moving forward.

I walk between the protective walls, only to realize Clara isn't beside me. I look behind me to see her gawking, still on the sidewalk. “This is….” She whispers. She slowly takes a step onto the crosswalk, studying the sparkles with the same eyes of a child that just got a puppy. “I’ve seen the sparkles from far away but I’ve never been inside. ”

I laugh. I didn't realize how strange this would look to someone new around here. The crosswalks and walls of protection have been here my whole life. “We only got ten seconds. We can talk about it in the car.”

She follows me to the other side and we get to my car. I smile at her once more as I open the door for her. She hops in and we make eye contact.

A part of me has a feeling that my life is going to change. It's a pit in my stomach, aching through my body. I'm not sure if I should dread it or embrace it. I don't even know how she’ll change me but I can just look at this girl, and think there's something… something…

Odd…Foretelling…

And I can't understand why…

“You're gonna thrive here in Amara.” I hold her gaze “I'll make sure of that.”

She returns my grin before leaning in her seat. “I believe you.”