= a wattpad featured story (14102017) =
After she was kidnapped to a foreign land, Devora Evans found herself rescued by a questionable team claiming to be spies working for the government. However, she soon found out that the term "spies" was much...
NATHAN LAID IN his bed, eyes staring blankly into the dark at the ceiling as the night raged on all around him. From a distance away, he swore he could hear his roommate lightly snoring into oblivion. If he had confronted her about it the next morning, however, she would no doubt deny it till the end of time.
It must be good to be able to sleep so soundly when the night was so forgiving for once. Yet, Nathan knew that he was not capable of such a simple act. The night may have shown mercy but the torrenting blaze of his memories would never. All the people he had killed, all the families Nathan knew he had torn because of his job, those were things that would haunt him for years to come, maybe for the rest of his life. Perhaps that was the price to pay. He was separated from his own family so as to separate someone else's, just like a domino effect.
Just like any other night, Nathan couldn't put his mind to rest. It was racing, running miles and miles away from a peaceful slumber and toward his regrets. He was forced to relive each and every moment, wondering what could've been different if he had taken another road whenever he was met with a fork in the path.
Alas, no matter how much he put his mind to work, to cook up the possibilities, Nathan knew that the past could never be altered. His life was forged in such a way and fate had its reasons for pulling him along this path. After all, this road down his life had led him to one of the largest rays of sunshine in his life.
How brilliantly she shone, as if the stars were just mere specks of dust in the night sky. Her vibrancy dazzled, proving to him daily that the world was certainly most beautiful when she was in it. Life itself had turned magical ever since such a woman was brought into his days.
He hadn't noticed it at first. Or, perhaps he did but didn't want to acknowledge the feeling. Every time Devora was near, his heart rate would quicken, breath would hitch, and all that he wished to say would slip from his mind. Only after fumbling around in his head would he regain his axis and by then, she would've led the topic somewhere else already. They could only talk as friends.
Yes, friends. A term which Nathan was comfortable with but also didn't quite enjoy. At least as friends, he could keep Devora by his side, a person under his protection. He could bear through hiding his feelings behind playful quips and friendly jokes. That way, she wouldn't know and wouldn't guess.
It would be selfish of him to confess and admit his true feelings to her. After all, their lives had an expiration date, one that loomed nearer to them than the average human being. Every sunrise could be the last they'll ever see. Nothing was for sure in their field of work. As such, his feelings would never bear fruit even if Devora liked him back.
There was no place for love on the battlefield.
Like clockwork, Nathan dragged his body out of bed. He was tired but sleep evaded him like a slippery eel, never allowing him any relief. If he couldn't force his mind to rest, then he could only work his body to exhaustion so that his thought wouldn't stray.
Feet moving in front of another in a rhythmic tap, Nathan quickly slipped on a t-shirt on top of his sweatpants before tying up the laces of his shoes. He adjusted them before leaving his room, shutting the door behind him quietly so as to not wake Devora up by accident. Once their room clicked shut, he was off, on the familiar path that led to the gym.
Just as he had expected, although it was currently the dead of the night, there was still someone there training other than Nathan who had just arrived. By the time he had entered, she was already well in her workout, her fingers gripped tightly around the blades. She threw them swiftly, barely aiming. The action meant no more to her than just clockwork and she made sure that everyone watching, however scarce, knew for a fact that she was lethal.
At the sound of approaching footsteps, the blonde grinned, turning to face Nathan as her lips stretched wide into a stunningly beautiful smile graced by the gods. She waved once, tilting her head questioningly to a side before throwing yet another knife without even turning back to look at the target.
Not that she had to. Even without looking, it was still another bullseye.
"Slightly late this time, Nate. What kept you in bed for longer than usual?" Candice asked, a mocking tone to her voice.
She calmly strolled over to the tables where the weapons were laid out. Her fingers grazed the polished steel of the small daggers before trailing over towards the throwing blades. Grabbing another five to play around with, she made her way back to the targets. Since she was keeping count of her score for the night, she hadn't removed the ones she had previously thrown. There was no one around to compete with her for practice resources, anyway.
"My schedule isn't as fixed as your knife skills are, Candice. It's only human to have delays. As godly as I may be, I am still but a mere human." Playing along, Nathan stretched his arms out before placing them over his heart in a wounded manner. His actions earned him a pair of rolling eyes from Candice.
"Heh," she huffed smugly. "I erased whatever was human about me long ago. The root of it was forcefully taken away from me and the rest of the tree simply fell soon after. If I can't be human," Candice gritted her teeth, flinging the knife, "then so help me I'll be a god."
The blade buried itself deep into the red dot in the center of the circle, the ringing thud of its contact reverberating in Nathan's ears. Indeed, there was nothing human about Candice in Nathan's eyes. She was always too deadly, too detached, too cold. Sometimes, even he was afraid of her.
Sighing loudly as the last knife was thrown, Candice offered Nathan a smile, one that didn't reach her eyes. She held out a hand, gesturing towards the sparring ring.
"Let's go for a round?" She suggested, cocking her head to a side, eyebrows raised.
"Sure," Nathan complied. "I've been itching for a fight, anyway."
To that, Candice grinned.
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