Hiraeth |✔

Stolen

It was that period, when darkness ruled with the highest authority; midnight.

Zen nudged Scarlett. She groaned in her sleep as she thought it was another parasomnia.

"Scarlett.." he squeaked louder.

"Stop hollering, Mr Thames!"

"Whoa! Who's that?"Scarlett was half-awake now.

"You" her hands rubbing her eyes.

"I'm Zen, nice to meet you."

"Stopp!" She had a very sheepish smile, "It isn't Alejandro, though."

"Wake up lady, stop sleep-talking."

"I am completely awake. Tell me now, before I drown you in this ocean, why did you wake me up?!"Her threats sounded surreal.

"To talk." Zen changed his position and his tone.

"Ahhh. there is something called 'day' to talk. The night is to dream."

"Dark things should be said and done in dark."

"Let me hear you. Hold me when I faint."

"Listen" Zen leaned closer to Scarlett, he whispered, "Do you want to run away?"

"Now, can you please stop sleep-talking?" She sat perspiring.

"Yes or no?" He tried covering the terror clouding his face.

"God! Not even my biology teacher expects this quick answer!"

Scarlett's world was already upside down. Only if there was another dimension to turn the upside-down world, not restoring to its original state but become another way upside-down again. This question made her feel everything.

"I could barely move my body to hug Odlin. You want me to run away with you?"

Silence thickened

"I wish I could run on water," Scarlett said staring at the sea.

"So you can't! I don't have to worry about that."

Scarlett crossed her arms. "I want to sleep" she actually meant I want to dream "or else I might cry, loud, till my eyes rip apart!

Zen knew her heaviness. It wasn't any different from his. He thought it was his foolishness to ask her to run away, when all she had to call her own, was her life. Hardly that belonged to her. Asking her to run away was pretty much asking her to die along with him; give away the last thing she owned.

***

When the whole world wished each other 'Good morning', these three, sailing to danger, didn't dare to utter those words. Having a good morning wasn't morning at all!

They were served stale bread and some bland broccoli. A flabby giant, his head almost touching the roof, entered the cottage. He bent, placing those bowls of disgusting treats. He turned to the door, two steps, BAM!!! Down he fell, cussing his shoelace all the way. His wide forehead hitting the wooden wall. It was a huge fall for a man like him. The recovery took a couple of minutes and even more to tie his shoelace. He stomped off, slamming the door, locking it while still cussing.

"Ouch! My throat hurts holding all of that laughter!"They giggled. Let it all out.

"He was this close- this close to shoot us with all those guns he had! I was ready with my last wish."Zen chuckled harder.

"What was it?" Scarlett stopped laughing, she was uptight.

"My last wish? I will let you know before you smother me down."

"Not like I'm going to fulfil it or anything" she gave a very corny grin.

Odlin, like always, sat turning toward the wall. Nobody knew what she was doing; crying or sleeping.

"Pssst..." Scarlett tapped Zen, with very few body movements.

"I'm still alive if that's what you are che-..." his eyes widened, jaw dropped, eyes trained at the gun sitting below her thigh.

"Scaaar-"

"Stop exaggerating!" She interrupted.

"How?! Why?! God, this isn't real!"

"How?- who do you think untied the chubby man's shoelace?
And why?- to run away"

"I knew you belonged to some Mafia gang the night you said you were going to strangle me!"

"Shut up, tell me, where shall we hide this baby?"

"Your pant pocket."

"Haha...very cheesy! One day we will, Zen." She could barely put her hands in her pocket.

"Give me, here-" the very moment Zen held the gun, it made him feel somewhat guilty. He concluded, in his brain, that the opposite of a gun is the very hand that holds it; trembling and shaking.
He placed it in the inside pocket of his jacket, zipped it to the brim.

He stared into her blue eyes. He saw valour, and part of it hidden by a veil called fear.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Hello beautiful human.
Thank you for spending your time reading my book!
If you liked it, please vote. Constructive feedback is highly appreciated.
I enjoyed writing this chapter.
Do you guys ship Zen and Scarlett???
The coming chapters are going to get hella crazy!

Stay safe. The times are getting worse, especially in my country.
Create love, spread it to the vast space!
xoxo