Oh EARTH NO! This isn’t good!
“Yeah, it is my spot. Mine only!” I reply back, a little scared that his face was still serious. But why would I be? I mean, I have an amazing ability. If I need to I can knock him out in enough time to get away. But no, this isn’t the same type of fear. It’s more of the fear that I want to share this place…with him. I don’t even know this dude!
Troy takes another step towards me, but I take a step to the side towards my waterfall. “You can share cant you? Cause it seems to me like this is an awful lot of space you have here, to be keeping it to yourself.”
“Not really. I have to keep this place to myself, otherwise I could kill someone.” I say mournfully as I sit down on the small boulder by the waterfall. I watch the water prickle down the stream below the waterfall. I start to hum the song over again as he speaks.
“I don’t think that is fair. You get to keep it all to yourself, but I get nothing. Does that sound fair to you?”
“Of course it’s fair. I found this place to help to control my abilities. If I didn’t have this place I would have killed more than half the people here on this side of Night World. But if you don’t value your own life we can definitely share this place. But I would still feel guilty if I killed you and you wanted that.”
“Valor told me that you could bring anything you killed back to life. So you wouldn’t really be killing me. That’s why he gave me his number; well he gave it to me in case something goes wrong.” Troy takes a seat next to me on the boulder.
“Valor’s wrong! I can’t bring just anything back to life. But he was right to give you his number; he’s the only one that has been able to calm me. Ever.” I tell him, thinking back to the time I most regret and the time that made Valor afraid. A tear falls down my face, but Troy can’t see it. I am facing the other way.
“Hey, are you okay?” Troy asks me. I guess he can tell I am crying. He places his hand on my arm, trying to calm me or something.
That’s when it clicks. “Go away now! GO!” I scream frantically. My emotions are making me cry. This isn’t good; a song is bound to come in a second’s time. I rush off the boulder to the other side of my clearing.
“What’s wrong?” he asks in alarm, reading the panic in my voice and face.
“Leave! NOW!” panic and sadness is not good, not good. Oh Earth no! Not good!
Troy comes to my side quickly, alarm written all over his face, but then it subsides and his posture and face goes into defensive position. He must think that I sense something coming toward us. He grabs hold of my hand, like him and I are going to make a run for it. My hand gets this feeling like someone is tickling it.
Why haven’t I sung already? What’s going on? “What is it?”
All my panic and sadness subside when I realize what’s going on. “It’s nothing. Never mind it.” I lie to him. It’s pretty big, oh earth yeah. Pretty big.
Troy’s presence near me calms me! It’s stronger than Valor’s ability to calm me! With Valor near me, I can still sing but he calms me and makes me stop when I sing not before I sing. With Troy, I don’t sing at all. No matter how strong the emotion, and let me tell ya, I was terrified just a few seconds ago.
“What was it? What happened?”
“I don’t know.” I pause to think. I need to talk to Valor. “I need to get home.” I whisper quietly as I slip my hand out of his gently and take off into the trees. But Troy is right beside me.
“What’s wrong?” Troy’s voice is gentle but firm when he asks me this. I look over at him, his face is really worried and troubled, and it looks like he’s confused as well.
“I just need to get home. I need to talk to Val.”
“Slow down then, you don’t need to go and see him to talk with him. You can use my phone.” He offers, slowing down.
“No, this is something I have to discuss with him, face to face.” I tell him, not slowing my pace.
“Fine, let’s go.” He quickens his pace again, he’s at my side again.
“You don’t have to be there. You can go home.” I suggest. This was going to be weird telling Val already, but with Troy there…this would be just awkward.
“I want to know what happened back there. I’m not leaving until I know.”
Fine, he can know what happened. I just won’t mention the part where he can calm me in front of him.
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