The Laws of Paxia

31. Pink Shimmer

Chapter Thirty-One

  Pink shimmer.

  Lex didn’t come empty-handed. Somehow he managed to find my Dad and bring my wheelchair to Crest. Lex knew how much my independence meant for me. All those months in the house when I refused to use Tarih must have made it into an obvious thing. I wish he could remember me, but these small things make me hopeful. He still knows me.

  I’m not sure if I should be angry or not. Hea didn’t tell me. On the other hand, she wanted to bring me out of the fort without making the ruler suspicious. I guess it was for the best that I didn’t know. I’m still just a kid and would have ruined her plan.

  I really missed my wheelchair. I haven’t seen it in like five months? I’m starting to lose track of time. I roll the chair around with a huge smile on my face. Lex is watching me with his mysteries poker face I love so much.

  “Did you get to say a proper goodbye to your family?” I ask him and kill the silence.

  “I told them I needed some space. They think I’m backpacking in Asia.” He shrugs, not too worried about his parents.

  “It’s not a complete lie,” I add with a chuckle. “We’re backpacking trough the world. It is going to be a real adventure. What do you think of Crest so far?”

  I can’t get enough looking at his perfect skin. He as well as I got a complete makeover because of Florem. Before we competed with the most scars and now… I kind of look like the Goddess I’m supposed to be. Either Lex or I are the right people to “save” the world though. We have too much hate inside of us, caused by Paxia. Lex can’t remember, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. I can see the emptiness in his eyes, the same as he had in Paxia. Being different from the other chameleons doesn’t necessarily make me a better person.

  “I like it here. It’s just me against the wind and the mountains. It makes me feel like the man I always wanted to be and not some heir my parents are expecting me to be. Do you know what they did? Five days after you left they introduced me to my fiancée. They took for granted that I would agree to their wish.”

  His eyes are black with anger and his fists are shaking at the memory. I feel sorry for him. I reach out my arm and hug him around his waist. He doesn’t shove me away, which is a good sign. I can’t believe his parents did that to him just a few days after he got back home.

  “My life has a purpose with you, Meryl. You’re really pitiful but I can’t help but admire you because of your struggle to adapt to every situation that’s being thrown at you. You’re strong by just trying while other people would have preferred to just drown.”

  “Giving up is not an option for me, I’m too competitive.” I smirk at his seriousness. “Still I want to know more of what you think of this place, Hea and Noelie.”

  He puts his hands on my shoulders and look me deep into my eyes. They hold so much care for me and I’ve put my life in his hands so many times.

  “It’s a power-struggle we shouldn’t take part in. Promise me you won’t. We can stand by and watch and support this planet but not with political matters, it is not up to us. These are rough lands. We should try to move on from here as soon as possible. I’ve found a temporary home with these people, but I’m sure there’s a better world waiting for us out there.”

  A better world sounds nice, but the more I see of these worlds the more I miss Earth. Lex and I could build our own home somewhere. We can pick anywhere.

  “Home is where we make it to be,” I tell him and roll away towards the kitchen. “Are you hungry? I smell dinner.”

  We take place by the waiting table and are being served delicious courses. Lex loads his plate with various dishes of meat and I note with a smile that he didn’t keep his vegetarian side. I however have come to appreciate to eat the things that grows from the ground. I don’t mind eating the meat, but the slaughter in Paxia made me reconsider the need of it. I’m just happy that I’m given a private dinner with the love of my life. The others have already eaten and gone back to their other shores.