Atticus

Chapter 10

There is a cool breeze blowing. It's enough to lift a strand or two of my hair but not enough to chill me.

I am laying on the boat, looking at the sky above me.

There are not many lights on the boat so I am cast in a shadow of darkness with the brightest thing being the stars above me.

Atticus is a few feet away, watching me instead of the stars. I sigh and turn my head away from him, letting the cool breeze touch the side of my neck that I exposed.

The waters are so still without even the smallest ripple. I feel my breathing slow as I fall into a peaceful state of mind. The sea is a reflection of the universe above me.

It is remarkable. The starry night sky is so clear and unpolluted that I can see every part of the universe. A few constellations are clear to me. I studied them to use the stars to navigate.

Earlier I took notes of how the sky looks now and which direction I should take to get home.

I turn my head to Atticus and my chest stops for a few seconds. He is staring in my direction but past me. His eyes are almost black and the stars are reflecting in them, making them look so much more beautiful. He looks very deep in thought and almost tormented by what he must be thinking about.

I decide to save him from his thoughts by clearing my throat and sliding over. He flicks his eyes to me and they turn a nice blue color as they start to focus on me.

"Why do your eyes change color?"

He doesn't move to speak and waits a few moments before responding. "They change based on my mood."

"What does blue mean?"

He raises an eyebrow at me like he didn't know that's the color they were. I sigh, accepting that he might not know either.

"Look at the stars and not me. They are beautiful."

"I think I'm happy with what I'm looking at."

I feel heat rise up my neck and to my cheeks. Why would he say something like that? Since when was he a flirt?

I move further from him. He frowns at me like he doesn't like that I'm sliding further from him.

"I made you space" was all I had to say for him to understand that I won't take no as an answer. God, I really am putting a lot of trust in him. I barely even know him.

He stands up and comes over to where I am and lays down next to me. At first he just stares at me but I point to the sky and he turns his head to follow where I am pointing.

"Over there is the Big Dipper. If you follow that star to over there" I move my hand to a different spot in the sky, "you will see the Little Dipper."

He is quiet and I glance at him to see him looking at where the Little Dipper is.

"I didn't know you knew that stuff." I'm startled by how inviting his response was. Are we going to have a decent conversation?

"I studied it a bit so I could use the stars to navigate if I ever need it."

There is a pause.

"Does your kind study different things? Like the stars or the sea's waves?" I ask him.

"Just the sea."

"Have you ever wanted to learn from humans?"

There is a pause. He clenches his jaw and finally starts to speak. "My kind doesn't like humanity at all. Hence why they keep attacking you."

I become nervous with my next question but I can't hold it in. "Do you hate humans?"

"Yes."

It was a hard yes. As if he was saying 'of course'.

I turned to look at him but he seemed to resist the urge to look at me. "Why is that?"

"They destroy everything they touch."

I think on this. He is definitely not wrong. But they are not all bad. I decide to voice my opinion.

"They are not all like that."

"Yes they are" he says abruptly.

Then he does something that startles me. He looks at me and his eyes are an even lighter color of blue. His expression is kind of soft and I can see that he might just be saying 'but not you'.

His eyes captivate me. I can't look away. Again, I am caught up by the beautiful ocean that is his eyes. I feel like I can get lost in them.

My hand suddenly feels a faint warmth to it. I glance down and see that he moved his hand less than an inch from mine. If he could, he could completely cover my hand with his. I know my hands are small but they look so much smaller next to his.

I feel him move a little closer to me. I look back up to meet his eyes. I can't think straight as he watches me. It's like he wants to touch me but doesn't at the same time.

Why do I want to touch him too?

His POV

Her eyes are the most stunning thing I have ever seen. They are a stormy grey and draw me in.

I am staring into her eyes and feeling myself fall for them. I want nothing more than to hold her close and tell her I'm sorry for being such a dick. But something is holding me back. Something I don't want to think about yet.

I am starting to feel hate for myself so I try to focus on her instead.

Her face is so perfect. Her law is the perfect shape and her lips are so pink. All I can imagine is how pure she is as she smiles with those lips. I want to see them smile all the time.

Her lashes are long and her eyebrows arch just enough to make her look strong but also gentle.

My Kaia is beautiful. I find myself thinking.

"Can you sing?" I ask her.

"I guess. Why?"

"I want to hear you sing."

I know what I'm saying is dangerous. It's going to make me need her even more than I already do.

She looks away from me and my heart aches to see those beautiful eyes.

She closes her eyes and clears her throat. Then the most angelic sound comes from her.

Oh, there's a river that winds on forever
I'm gonna see where it leads
Oh, there's a mountain that no man has mounted
I'm gonna stand on the peak

I forget my hate for humanity as I listen to her sing.

To the ends of the earth, would you follow me?
There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see
To the ends of the earth, would you follow me?
Well if you won't, I must say my goodbyes to thee

She makes me forget everything that troubles me. She takes me to a place where I never want to leave.

Song: Ends of the Earth by Lord Huron