The truth in our songs

Chapter 67

Blake-Achlys Huxley

There she was. In my arms. Our eyes melting together like a sea of starlightdust. She blinked while I brushed my lips over her chin and kissed her softly. I looked into beautiful eyes- eyes I had forgotten because they were broken, eyes I did not recognize because life in them seemed gone but now I saw her, remembered her. All my life, all my life had I desired to see her again. And even though I fell in love with the same person I've already fallen in love with seven years ago, now I slowly felt being completed again.

But now I saw all the hints that were given right from the start. I had sometimes wondered how she never seemed to know where classrooms were and how the teachers were called, how she didn't know the names of her home street or cafés, the way she always seemed overwhelmed when masses of peope surrounded her. She had never known that a world like this existed. She had never been to school after she was taken, had never met people her age or went out. Still, she was smart. Maia was not only smart but intelligent. They must have trained adn teached her behind closed doors.

When she had asked me to teach her how to fight, I had not agreed. I never taught her how to fight, neither how to defend herself because I wanted to keep her out of a world that contained such skills. But when she'd left Chloe behind in that hallway and ran toward us, she'd pulled a knife out of her dress and fought like a warrior. I had not really thought about it but it had surprised me how precisely and good she had fought. She had known exactly how and what she was doing. When I was bleeding in the woods and she bandaged me, I had realized that she knew much more than all of us thought. She knew how to save a life, how to defend one, how to use weapons and even though she was terrible in sports, it was just an act. Because Maia was fast, and aware and thoughtful. They may had not chaned her into a puppet, and she might have escaped but they still gave her something from them along the way. Pieces of the mafia. Pieces I would have never wanted her to see, to know of, to be able to do.

I looked back at her, those wide eyes staring at me silently. It had gotten a bit colder, since the night lied above us but she was wrapped tightly in my arms. ,, I love you ,, I whispered down to her and she smiled slightly up to me.

I had never imagined that she would ever say those words back to me. But her confession, her honesty- something she frightened had shattered and fixed me. Home. She was home. I felt how her fingers stroke over my necklace that kept her laugh and she smiled at it before letting go and looking back at me. ,, You'll kill me if you don't stop ,, I whispered the words I already told her when we danced in that ballroom.

,, Stop what? ,, she asked and looked at me.

,, Being the only person I don't want to ever stop looking at ,, I replied ,, And still, I know that I will never be full of the sight of you ,,

,, Then consume me ,, she whispered back and it felt like a breath that escaped into the nightair.

One more look, we shared one more intimate look and then my lips were on hers again, my tongue brushing over her lips, she parted for me and let me in. Her hands travelled up to my hair and she pulled me down to her. I just entwined my arms around her lower back and lifted her from the ground. She laughed between our kiss when I carried her inside and closed the balcony door with my feet.

Her lips touched mine, not featherly but adoringly. Like I was the sweetest taste she's ever tasted. She ran her fingers through my hair, as if they were the softest she'd ever touched, and she draped her arms around my neck, knowing that I would not let go of the hold around her.

I walked into the hallway and used one of my free hands to push the doorhandle down to the library as soon as we stood in front of it. Her eyes burned into my eyes ,, The library? ,, she asked breathlessly and I admired her even more.